Storytime!

[Unregistered]

To get to know each other better, lets post stories of ourselves

[Goldfishies]

Ok mine is called "Piano lessons"

I have alway considered my self employment as a private teacher to be my single greatest contribution, both to my students and myself. I began giving lessons as a sophomore, after several family friends expressed interst ini having their children study with me. I did not know much about what I was getting into then, but since I loved music and I loved these kids, I decided that I would begin to teach them.

As my students- three at first, then four, then five, began to grow and progress musically, I found that my own musical progress was also flourishing. The concepts which I was instilling in these children were also being enforced in my mind. When I played short pieces for my students and challenged them to describe the moods and emotions they felt, I found myself similarly challenged to reflect on the composer's intentions through choice of key, tempo, and dynamics. As each studen climbed up on the bench and stared in wonder at the inner workings of my piano, I was reminded to take into account the mechanics of the piano sounds and use them to my advantage while playing. As my budding music readers scanned the pages of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata looking for notes marked with sharps and flats, I remembered that it is never too early to familarize oneself with the great works of musical literature then it will be much less orverwhelimng when it comes time to study them in-depth. And as I saw the joy of playing music shining in their eyes and in their performance, I had to share this joy with everyone who would accept it. For these reasons, I will always consider my position as a piano teacher my most important and cherished activity.

[oceanflower]

Samantha, if that first post is yours, then you are now a member of the "oops, that was me club." :) Go to the Old China Teapot Cafe, find the thread, and sign in!

[Goldfishies]

Oops! That was me! How did you know?

[oceanflower]

Oops! You caught me! How did you know?

My crystal ball! ;)

[Goldfishies]

Can you read my palm too ;) ?

[oceanflower]

I haven't finished my palm-reading course yet.

[Star_Anise]

I have been known to read palms, but I can't say I take myself seriously.

A great story, Sam, and this thread is a good idea. I just have to figure out what story I have to tell. Maybe we'll discover some new and interesting things about each other.

[musi]

wow, Samantha, how long have you been studying music yourself?

[Goldfishies]

I've been playing the piano (and taking lessons) since I was six, so its been 11 years. I've been giving private lessons for two years. :)

[musi]

wow, i am amazed, really! :) i have a piano at home and theoretically i could start playing it, but, nah, i am too lazy.. thus i am always amazed, when people play some musical instrument and play it well (which i am sure is your case as well). what are you going to study at university? music?

[Goldfishies]

No I'm going to study medicine, but I'll still play the piano sometime.

What other instruments do you play?

[ArthurDent]

Here's a story about me:

When I was about 18 years old, I went with some friends to a water park near the beach. We took a 4 hours bus and I was tired. I took a sleeping bag and put it down on the beach and I fell asleep in seconds.
I woke up about an hour later with s trange sensation in my left ear. Very quickly it became clear to me that what I am feeling is extreme pain. I can only give you a mental picture to consider - a razor blade across the eardrum *ouch*
So my hand shot up to my ear and I stuck a finger in to check if I got hurt or something while sleeping. No blood. I thought maybe the wind blew a little stone or leaf or whatever into my ear but my finger did not feel anything. All this time the pain is relentless. I decided to look for my friends. I walk into the water park but then the pain becomes so sharp, that all I can do is stick my finger in my ear and scream. Obviously, that drew some attention :) and after a minute or two I was spotted by a friend of mine who did the obvious thing of dragging me to the small "first aid station" in the park.
They wanted to look in my ear, but strangely enough, I couldn't take my damn hand away... They tried reasoning with me, but I kindly advised them that they could ***&%$^& etc. Then they took the next obvious step and held me down while they were looking inside with this little flashlight/magnifying glass thingy.
Nothing. They could see nothing. Then after a couple of more minutes (During which the pain got worse still) a nurse shouted "An ANT!!!" What!? says I. "You got an ant in your ear!".
They started trying to take it out. First spraying into my ear with a syringe, then with a little earbud. Eventually they got it out and immediately the pain went away!

A little ant was walking on my ear drum or something and [b]that[/i] little ant caused me more pain than anything else in my life! More than the dog who nearly left me with one eye...

The end result (and the point of the story) is - If you see a guy blowing his nose, while sticking a finger in his ear - You are probably looking at me ;)

[oceanflower]

Oh Arthur, that's awful! I'll never lie down on the beach again! :o

[Goldfishies]

Thats terrible! Ants, bees, and locusts are my least favorite animals.

[Winifred]

Fun thread!

Today, we are renaming one of our cats. About 3 months ago, a fat, black and white tuxedo cat adopted us. My son named him Penguin since we had just seen the movie, March of the Penguins. As an aside, I would like to add that I now know what God has in store for dead-beat Dads. However, Penguin is a sweet cat, unloved by our other two felines because he hogs the food whenever possible.

Penguin has an infected scratch on his face, so, this morning, my hub and I spent 45 minutes chasing him around the garage to corral him for the veterinarian. We finally threw a blanket over him, and deposited him, blanket and all, into one of our dog carriers, the baleful, yowling lump being too large and wiggly for the cat carrier. No one gets to see our garage, the black hole of family flotsam, hence the trouble catching the cat, so we carried the cage around to the front and sat the it in the sun.

I called our traveling vet, who does housecalls and operates out of his well stocked pick-up truck. A bit before his arrival, I looked in on Penguin, who appeared to be curled completely up in his blanket. The pile looked smallish, though, and no wonder: my black cat stared smugly at me with the one eye which still opened, from a sunny spot a safe distance across the yard. The cage was still locked shut, but that cat had jammed his hefty self between the cage door and an incredibly small crack in the bottom of the cage. The cat paid a price, his face is even more of a mess, but we are absolutely amazed that he could escape. I cancelled the vet for today, and we are currently debating between the more fitting names Houdini or Churchill.

I did manage to slather some antibiotic on him in the evening. He seemed to know I was in awe and wouldn't pester him further tonight.

[oceanflower]

Fun thread!

Today, we are renaming one of our cats. About 3 months ago, a fat, black and white tuxedo cat adopted us. My son named him Penguin since we had just seen the movie, March of the Penguins. As an aside, I would like to add that I now know what God has in store for dead-beat Dads. However, Penguin is a sweet cat, unloved by our other two felines because he hogs the food whenever possible.

Penguin has an infected scratch on his face, so this morning, my hub and I spent 45 minutes chasing him around the garage to corral him for the veterinarian. We finally threw a blanket over him, and deposited him, blanket and all, into one of our dog carriers, the baleful, yowling lump being too large and wiggly for the cat carrier. No one gets to see our garage, the black hole of family flotsam, hence the trouble catching the cat, so we carried the cage around to the front and sat the it in the sun.

I called our traveling vet, who does housecalls and operates out of his well stocked pick-up truck. A bit before his arrival, I looked in on Penguin, who appeared to be curled completely up in his blanket. The pile looked smallish, though, and no wonder: my black cat stared smugly at me with the one eye which still opened, from a sunny spot a safe distance across the yard. The cage was still locked shut, but that cat had jammed his hefty self between the cage door and an incredibly small crack in the bottom of the cage. The cat paid a price, his face is even more of a mess, but we are absolutely amazed that he could escape. I cancelled the vet for today, and we are currently debating between the more fitting names Houdini or Churchill.

I did manage to slather some antibiotic on him in the evening. He seemed to know I was in awe and wouldn't pester him further tonight.

It seems that Penguin proves the old saying that cats have nine lives! :)