Post-Order, Cold-Weather, Situation-Clarification

Hello. There has been a dearth. The reasons are twofold. First, it's cold over here. (Needs no more explanation.) Second, everything I write sounds idiotic, inane, unpracticed, uninteresting. Several posts were started and left to moulder. But now I've decided that I don't care, I'm throwing them up online! Take that lovely image and keep it in mind when you read the posts that follow this one, they are from as many as four months ago. Anyhow. Here I am, in Copenhagen, future home of Megan. I took the train, with my bass. It's scarcely gotten above freezing for the entire time I've been here. Pity the Californian. There has been a good deal of faffing, practicing, waiting for Husband to get out of work, hanging out with Husband and Other American Musicians, going to concerts, minimizing the amount of time one must spend outside. Before I awoke this morning I dreamed I was walking through a park in late spring, I could feel the warm air on my skin. My feet were bare, the grass was a little damp. Plants were flowering. The leaves on the trees and bushes were so clear in their different shapes and hues of green and they moved in the warm breeze. Andrew's voice was asking me if I was ready for toast and tea. I opened my mouth to utter a noise like a sick sheep before rolling over to recapture the Better Season. When I was in London (see two posts down) I had about 45 minutes to visit the Victoria & Albert museum before meeting a friend. I made my way past the miniatures, through the stained glass hallway, to the print room (boring), and then on to the tapestry room, which was darkened and humid, like a greenhouse. On display is the collection of Devonshire Hunting Tapestries, and one in particular had so many different kinds of trees, all their leaves made clearly recognizable, and the sea, with whitecaps that looked like clouds. My current roommate in Basel, June, is leaving in a month to be an intern with the textiles collection at the V&A. I'm jealous. Looking for those tapestries exposed a third reason for the continued post posting delay: the internet is too damn distracting.

The day I left Basel it snowed so beautifully. At least when it's snowing the weather seems less depressing. On Saturday, I'm getting on a train in the evening so that I can arrive in Paris the next morning. I have a week of work in France, playing two Haydn symphonies (The Bear and The Chicken) before I return to Basel and begin working in earnest on my recital program. That's right, folks. I'm nearly A Master. What I have not yet mastered is riding the bike we found for me here in Copenhagen. It's one of these silly upright-style bikes with foot brakes (remember those, from when you were 5? Exactly.) and a basket and some little flower decals on the body. I think it needs some anarchist stickers or rough-talking decals to make me feel less like an overgrown child. Last night riding home in the cold I kept thinking, This is so stupid. And, also, Don't die. I know it will get better, I'll grow accustomed to the bicycle, the weather will warm up, snow will turn into rain, plants will make their leaves and wave them around in a warm breeze. Any day now. Seriously. Oops. I mean, Yay! Winter!