Sorry about the mini absence.....I finally caught the sinus infection that everyone has been passing around in the music building. It took me several days, but I finally managed to get an appointment at the Student Death Center (at least that's what we called it in undergrad), and my doctor gave me a Z pack and various other over the counter medications to keep me semi-conscious for the next week or so.

The On the Run series will have to be postponed until I can actually run again without feeling like death warmed over.

Classes are shaping up well (on both teaching and taking fronts). I guess the biggest issue is having to teach my discussion section with my (relative) lack of familiarity with the common practice period. I'm trying to fill in gaps of knowledge with reading, which means my reading quotient is up from last semester, but interestingly enough, it doesn't feel bad (I think it's because I don't have to read music theory treatises from antiquity to 1600).

One of my Graduate Seminars is using a wiki for our final projects. I'm surprised how much I like the interface. I didn't think I would like writing a paper/presentation script in wiki format, but I think it works really well for a large research project (I might use it as a research tool for my thesis), specifically for organizing large amounts of material and notes in one place. It also means the professor can look at your work and suggest revisions, which you can reference at all stages of the project (really great for seeing how your work evolves).

The Trad recital is coming up on Feb. 5, and the program seems to be locking in. Looks to be (not a final list):
Dark is the colour of my true love's hair (sung into instrumental air)
Lasses of Ballintra/Lads of Laois/Fox on the Prowl
Have a Drink with Me/Black Rogue/Humours of Ennystimon
Paddy's Waltz/Evangeline
Tribute to Ed Reavy/Air (Gan Ainm)/Lovely Bannion/Both Meat and Drink
Butterfly (Barefoot on the Altar version)/Wee Bag of Spuds/Gan Ainm
Lady on the Island/Primrose Lass/The High Reel
The Stolen Bride (An Bhean a Tugadh As)
There's the Day
The Pikeman's March/Lord Mayo
Slide Set.....which I don't have names for
Possibly a hornpipe set or something besides reels and jigs.....may add something with the Gypsy Princess, cause I really love it. Just juggling and trying to figure out a sequence at this point.

Peace, Love, and Tunes,

Mac.