Christmas #1 (Sun 17th Jan)
This afternoon was my first Christmas function.
My friends Bridgett, Luke and Claire were coming over to my place for a BBQ, followed by The Messiah at the Concert Hall. Bridgett was performing in the Messiah, the rest of us were watching.
The EAGG lunch had taken a little longer than I'd anticipated, so I was not quite prepared for Bridgett and Luke's ever punctual arrival. I greeted them at the door in rubber gloves, dishwashing suds up to my elbows. The groceries were still in their plastic (sorry environment) bags, sprawling all over the kitchen floor.
"Is there anything we can do?" Luke asked.
I sent him down to the local shop to swap over my empty BBQ gas bottle for a full one. I finished the dishes while Bridgett put away the groceries. Ahh, friends.
I should point out here that Bridgett and Luke are married. They live in a flat in West Brunswick with their two psycho cats (seriously psycho). I used to work with Bridgett, in fact she took my old receptionist job when I became the MD's PA. Both being musicians and too smart to be doing the jobs we were doing, we got along very well. We bonded over the boss's hissy fits and snapped at ungrateful people together. Bridgett is now working in recruitment, and Luke works as a PA at a worker's union. Bridgett was born and raised in the US, met Luke on the internet, moved out to Australia to study music and be with Luke, and then married him and lived happily ever after.
I think I had the dishes done when Claire arrived. Claire moved to Melbourne from Perth this year. She is a good friend of my friend Katie, who I have known since I was in kindergarten, and we have been friends ever since. Katie moved over to WA after she graduated from her journalism course. She has always been quite an independent girl! So Claire is one of Katies best friends, and when Claire moved over to Melbourne, Katie asked me if I could show her the ropes. It just so happened that the first time I met up with Claire (having met her once over a year ago and not even being sure if I remembered what she looked like) I invited her to hang out with me, Bridgett and Luke. They all hit it off straight away and it is a great little gang. I didn't even realise it at the time, but Claire works for an employers union, so she and Luke are kind of like arch rivals. In a friendly way!
The BBQ was lovely, despite the fact that my barbecue decided that only half of it would light up, so we had to cook the food in shifts. We ate WAY too much, and agreed to save Claire's homemade white chocolate chip brownies for after the Messiah. We sipped champagne in the sun (it was a perfect day, weather wise) and played the hysterical "Who What Where" game. You have to draw out three cards, one with a Who, one with a What and one with a Where, and then attempt to draw the scenario. For example, Elton John, playing ice hockey, at the movies. Then you have to pass the drawings round and guess what's going on in each one. For some reason I was completely in tune with Bridgett, I guessed all three of hers every time.
The Messiah. Hmmmm.
Now I am familiar with the Hallelujah chorus, I have sung it several times and in fact really enjoy singing it. And watching it being sung.
The entire Messiah, on the other hand, was a different story.
I have never been so bored in my entire life!
Ok, I'm exaggerating, there was that one time when Adam and I accidentally went to the opera (Romeo & Juliet: we thought it was the play, not the opera). Ok, now I'm giving the impression that I don't like classical or baroque music at all. Which is just not true. You don't study music for four years if you hate classical music. And I have seen two operas I really loved - La Boheme, and Madame Butterfly. So I guess I should stick to Puccini.
Three hours of Handel... I just can't understand how people get so excited about it! I can see how it would be less boring if you were performing it, rather than watching. The parts are difficult to sing, and I can imagine immensely satisfying if you pull them off. And the orchestra (Melbourne Symphony) were great. But oh my god, I do NOT ever want to sit through Handel's Messiah again!!!
Afterwards we went back to my place for a post mortem and brownies. Bridgett was quite shocked that I didn't like it. I hastily added that there was nothing wrong with the performance, she and the choir did well, and the orchestra were great. I was just bored. She asked whether I hated all Baroque music, or just this piece. I thought about it... I love Bach's preludes & fugues, and I love Baroque music when it's played by a chamber ensemble, like a string quartet, or maybe a trio with a harpsichord. So really, it was just the Messiah I had a problem with. I think she understood how parts of it could be boring if you're not performing. But she really does love all Baroque music, including the Messiah... I hope I didn't upset her too much with my honesty. I think she was ok with it.
The brownies were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and I will be encouraging Claire to make them at every opportunity. I don't have many friends who bake, so it is quite rare to get a homemade treat like that. But with Christmas coming up... well lets just say those jeans that have recently become too loose, will probably find themselves on high rotation again!!
My friends Bridgett, Luke and Claire were coming over to my place for a BBQ, followed by The Messiah at the Concert Hall. Bridgett was performing in the Messiah, the rest of us were watching.
The EAGG lunch had taken a little longer than I'd anticipated, so I was not quite prepared for Bridgett and Luke's ever punctual arrival. I greeted them at the door in rubber gloves, dishwashing suds up to my elbows. The groceries were still in their plastic (sorry environment) bags, sprawling all over the kitchen floor.
"Is there anything we can do?" Luke asked.
I sent him down to the local shop to swap over my empty BBQ gas bottle for a full one. I finished the dishes while Bridgett put away the groceries. Ahh, friends.
I should point out here that Bridgett and Luke are married. They live in a flat in West Brunswick with their two psycho cats (seriously psycho). I used to work with Bridgett, in fact she took my old receptionist job when I became the MD's PA. Both being musicians and too smart to be doing the jobs we were doing, we got along very well. We bonded over the boss's hissy fits and snapped at ungrateful people together. Bridgett is now working in recruitment, and Luke works as a PA at a worker's union. Bridgett was born and raised in the US, met Luke on the internet, moved out to Australia to study music and be with Luke, and then married him and lived happily ever after.
I think I had the dishes done when Claire arrived. Claire moved to Melbourne from Perth this year. She is a good friend of my friend Katie, who I have known since I was in kindergarten, and we have been friends ever since. Katie moved over to WA after she graduated from her journalism course. She has always been quite an independent girl! So Claire is one of Katies best friends, and when Claire moved over to Melbourne, Katie asked me if I could show her the ropes. It just so happened that the first time I met up with Claire (having met her once over a year ago and not even being sure if I remembered what she looked like) I invited her to hang out with me, Bridgett and Luke. They all hit it off straight away and it is a great little gang. I didn't even realise it at the time, but Claire works for an employers union, so she and Luke are kind of like arch rivals. In a friendly way!
The BBQ was lovely, despite the fact that my barbecue decided that only half of it would light up, so we had to cook the food in shifts. We ate WAY too much, and agreed to save Claire's homemade white chocolate chip brownies for after the Messiah. We sipped champagne in the sun (it was a perfect day, weather wise) and played the hysterical "Who What Where" game. You have to draw out three cards, one with a Who, one with a What and one with a Where, and then attempt to draw the scenario. For example, Elton John, playing ice hockey, at the movies. Then you have to pass the drawings round and guess what's going on in each one. For some reason I was completely in tune with Bridgett, I guessed all three of hers every time.
The Messiah. Hmmmm.
Now I am familiar with the Hallelujah chorus, I have sung it several times and in fact really enjoy singing it. And watching it being sung.
The entire Messiah, on the other hand, was a different story.
I have never been so bored in my entire life!
Ok, I'm exaggerating, there was that one time when Adam and I accidentally went to the opera (Romeo & Juliet: we thought it was the play, not the opera). Ok, now I'm giving the impression that I don't like classical or baroque music at all. Which is just not true. You don't study music for four years if you hate classical music. And I have seen two operas I really loved - La Boheme, and Madame Butterfly. So I guess I should stick to Puccini.
Three hours of Handel... I just can't understand how people get so excited about it! I can see how it would be less boring if you were performing it, rather than watching. The parts are difficult to sing, and I can imagine immensely satisfying if you pull them off. And the orchestra (Melbourne Symphony) were great. But oh my god, I do NOT ever want to sit through Handel's Messiah again!!!
Afterwards we went back to my place for a post mortem and brownies. Bridgett was quite shocked that I didn't like it. I hastily added that there was nothing wrong with the performance, she and the choir did well, and the orchestra were great. I was just bored. She asked whether I hated all Baroque music, or just this piece. I thought about it... I love Bach's preludes & fugues, and I love Baroque music when it's played by a chamber ensemble, like a string quartet, or maybe a trio with a harpsichord. So really, it was just the Messiah I had a problem with. I think she understood how parts of it could be boring if you're not performing. But she really does love all Baroque music, including the Messiah... I hope I didn't upset her too much with my honesty. I think she was ok with it.
The brownies were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and I will be encouraging Claire to make them at every opportunity. I don't have many friends who bake, so it is quite rare to get a homemade treat like that. But with Christmas coming up... well lets just say those jeans that have recently become too loose, will probably find themselves on high rotation again!!
posted by Aussie Rock Chick at 1:50 AM
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