stuff

Follow up on my violin saga: I went to pick up my violin yesterday. Every time i called him to ask if it was ready, he said he was still doing something to it, so perhaps 'tomorrow' would be better. Loud warning bells and flashing neon lights should have gone off in my head, indicating that something terribly and most horrible had happened to my dear violin. I don't know why it didn't (must be the inkling of hopeful optimism i keep in the back storage room). Unfortunately, but not too surprisingly, the worst had come true. What's a bit funny about it all though, i'm not so upset. Maybe it's because i've become more 'Chinatized' as i'm entering my 8th month here.

Ok, so he glued the huge crack alright, but what happened was that the glue leaked all over the side with some dripping into it also, causing this uneven and ugly-looking patch of hardened glue to look like it was growing a second skin. So apparently the next day, he called in a 'violin specialist' to assess the damage. This specialist-guy (i'm a bit skeptical at how 'special' he was, but nevertheless...) gave the repairman some paint to paint over the dried up glue patch.

However, the colour doesn't match the wood itself and now it looks like someone tried to do a very bad make-up job on an already naturally beautiful instrument. I've played it since and at least the sound quality hasn't been too damaged, that being my biggest worry. The repairman was well beyond sorry and he kept apologizing for the bad job he'd done. At one point he was so dramatic about it, he took off his perfectly round spectacles in his hands and with his other free hand, pretended to smack his head back and forth, like some sort of self-punishment, all the while letting out these squeals of pain and agony. It was a bit unexpected and totally hilarious.

We learned a very important word from each other that day. He said to me that this was a 'jiaoxun' for him. I had him look up the word in my pocket Chinese-English dictionary which i always carry with me. Turns out it means 'lesson'. I taught him how to say the word, and told him that everyday we learn little life lessons, so he shouldn't be too worried about it. Ah well, at least every time i play i will think back upon my time in Urumqi.

Matt and I have been hooked into watching THE WEST WING, one episode a night. We have just finished a series and so it's time to head down to DVD alley and buy the next series to see what happens next, ooooh the anticipation! It's quite good television, i've never seen an episode before, and the best part is there's no commercials. It's especially self-indulging, but we're careful to watch only one episode per night as to simulate real television, because there is only one English channel here in China, the beloved CCTV 9. 90% of the time they broadcast these really boring and seemingly pointless documentaries, which for some reason get recycled and shown every other week. Topics range from the budding flowers that springtime in Hunan province brings, on China's historical doors and their significance to the ancient rulers of the pre-wheel era, and sometimes (and this is true!) there are nature shows which showcase how domestic cats can self-heal by the sound of their own purring - the scary part is most people in this country who watch this would actually believe it.

I had yet another invigorating and motivating erhu lesson today with Zhang Laoshi. He has been playing since 1969 and the passion he has for it seems to have multiplied over these years, unbelievable! He says he really wants me to practice hard so we can move on to real pieces instead of the finger exercises which we are working on presently. There is no staff music to read like in violin, just numbers and dots and lines. It's all very interesting and so logical, makes me wonder why that method isn't more widely used.

Matt and I have been busy putting on our creative hats and making wedding invitations on the computer. We're almost done, but both of us are quite perfectionists so it's taking a bit more time than we expected. It's funny how we are quite similar in that fashion, a bit of a procrastinator when faced with a task, but once we've got our feet wet, we need to do it thoroughly.

Alright, we need to go to sleep now so we can get at least one sleep cycle in before we have to wake up at 2:30am to watch the most anticipated Liverpool VS AC Milan football (aka: soccer), the final match in the Champions League game to be broadcast live on Xinjiang TV10. I've been briefed by Liverpool's biggest, and perhaps only, fan in Urumqi about the their history, their top players, their loathed rivals, and I will proudly wear their team colour (red) and shout and scream at the TV as they score their way towards victory. That is, of course, unless I collapse with exhaustion and pass out on the sofa first. Actually i can't do that; 'Wang da Man' is coming at 2:30 AM(!) to film us watching the game. Haven't seen him in awhile, but in the middle of the night?

Crazy, what a job!