Winter Wonderland!

We finally have snow that stuck and several of my classmates are delighted. Some of them took the opportunity to create this happy snow denizen.

The Weather

It's either feast or famine here in Salzburg. When the weather is fine, it's spectacular. When the weather is bad, it's horrible. There's very little middle ground. It's either wonderful or wretched.
I think today we discovered new dimensions of wretched. They are predicting vast quantities of snow for the weekend.... just in time for the opening of the Christmas markets. The Alt Stadt and the bridges are all festooned with twinkle lights. There's only one thing dampening the holiday cheer. Cold gloomy rainy weather.
In anticipation of the weekend snow accumulations I went to the local big box shoe store "Jello" in search of boots.Now what in the world does gelatin have to do with footgear? Very little actually. I had to remind myself that the J in German sounds like Y and therefore the store's name is more like "Yellow."
I will digress momentarily here to point out that while most business is conducted in small locally owned businesses, the big corporations are starting to creep into the city. For good or for ill, McDonald's has now firmly ensconced itself on Getreidegasse as has H&M and Zara. Getreidegasse is the main drag of the old city and is the address of Mozart's birth house. The most recent "big box" store opened on Alpenstrasse in August. That would be the "Erotik Markt", the Wal-Mart of leather, lace and other things better left to the imagination. It is quite controversial to say the least....
Back to Jello. I had just found the perfect pair of boots (cute, stylish and inexpensive) when I looked out the window only to see that it was pitch black outside at 2 in the afternoon. It gets dark here early (around 4) to be sure, but this was unusual. There was a loud clap of thunder and it started to pour BUCKETS!! After a few minutes, the rain changed to snow. Heavy-wet -stuff-that-accumulates-on-the-windshield-wipers snow. Wow!! I made a compound word worthy of German! It continued to thunder with some lightning PLUS rain PLUS snow PLUS hail. It was everything imaginable all at once!! Really wretched! Umbrellas were rendered useless!
In theory I will wake up tomorrow to 3+ inches of snow on the ground. We'll see....

I'm in heaven....

When I originally pondered the thought of coming here to Salzburg to study I was not only enthusiastic about the work I would do at the Institut, but with all the other things that I might be able to do as well. I live in a very rural part of Wisconsin and it's pretty safe to say that my husband (who is the music professor at the local campus) and I often grow weary of all the musical demands placed upon us. You know, things like playing for a club's Christmas meeting providing background music for 3 hours for $25, or trying to cobble together a string ensemble to accompany the community chorus. I was looking forward to participating in musical events for which I had no personal responsibility other than to show up. And of course practice in the down time....
One of my goals was to play in an orchestra, something I've dearly missed since being dismissed from the Green Bay Symphony for political reasons. I have to say that the GBSO experience was my first major political skirmish. I had been good friends with the executive director and his replacement was his polar opposite. Anybody who had been friends with the former ED found themselves without an orchestra to play in. In a fabulous twist of fate, I received a phone call about five years after this had all transpired asking me if I could sub in the orchestra. First I was stunned, then I started laughing and asked "Is this a joke???" The woman on the other end assured me that she was perfectly serious. She'd heard I was a good violist (if indeed there is such a thing!.... see...I can make jokes at my own expense!) and she hadn't been with the orchestra long enough to know the political background. I might add here that the ED who had done all the firing was himself summarily dismissed after some improprieties so she didn't know him either. I respectfully declined.
I may have mentioned before that I borrowed a viola from the Mozarteum. It's a pretty good instrument and I enjoy playing it. The bow could be better, but my husband says that I am pretty spoiled in the bow department, which is true. Just before I was sacked, I had invested in a serious new instrument and a serious bow (translate:$$$) I was going to bring my rig with me, but decided against it at the last minute because it was just too much to drag along. The instrument that I'm borrowing has been christened "Astutula" by the witty and ever popular Virginia from Italy. Those of you that know Carl Orff's stage works will understand the joke behind "Astutula" and if you don't know them, look them up because they are worth the effort.
Now I was armed with a viola and I'm playing some chamber music with the other people in my class but I was still looking for an orchestral experience. The Mozarteum orchestra is a pretty tall order. I didn't want to have to audition (I'm a little rusty) and I wasn't up for a conservatory style competitive experience. I'm too old for that. One of the students at the Institut was playing in the University Orchestra which is a different entity altogether and said that I was welcome to join that. No audition was necessary and I would be more than welcome because I played the viola and violas were in short supply.
I went to my first rehearsal last night. It is EXACTLY the kind of group I wanted to play in. Everyone was SO nice and SO excited because I was a violist. One of the violinists asked me before the rehearsal even started if I wanted to play chamber music. Of course I do!! The rehearsal was conducted entirely in German and I am happy to say that I had NO problem figuring out where I was, or what was being asked, or when it was my turn to play. I am delighted that I have an orchestral experience AND two and a half hours of solid non-stop German. I am in HEAVEN!!!
At one point I had to close my eyes and take a time out while the violins were being put through their paces to just let the fact sink in that I am here in Salzburg doing what I love. It was kind of overwhelming.
When the rehearsal was over, the violinist who asked me to play chamber music gave me a ride home since she lives nearby. She speaks wonderful English, a result of having lived in London for a while. We chatted and it turns out that we know quite a few of the same people thanks to The English Center.
By the way, we are playing a lot of.... what else?.... MOZART! The Overture to the Magic Flute and Symphony #40 (It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Mozart!) and a Bruch Violin Concerto. Our concert is December 15th. It's a good thing that I brought a black concert dress although it might be fun to have to buy a new one. I'm losing a lot of weight thanks to the strenuous movement classes. This is not a bad thing!!
Life is good.

Chickenhead!!

And now for a few brief observation about local hairstyles.....

It would appear that the local tween boys have adopted a hairstyle that I can only describe as "chickenhead." This is not to be confused with the hairstyle of cool with-it pre-adolescent males of a few years ago where they all went to Mom's hairdresser and essentially had their hair highlighted. I refer to THAT one fondly as "The Hedgehog." You know....where they look like they were dipped upside down in a vat of bleach, leaving a sort of bleached out Q-Tip effect. Fortunately it faded fast, as did their highlights. But "chickenhead" may have real staying power.
It works like this (or so I surmise!): You steal your sister's hair styling mousse and smear it in your hair. Make sure you use lots so that the end result is nice and crispy crackly. Then either blow dry the top layer of your hair straight up, or else take your fingers and lift it up to make a quasi-mohawk type dealie. Shape it to resemble a rooster's comb. Let it dry, then strut your 8-12 year old stuff. Makes the hens crazy!

I have a story for you.... and it's true!

This is one of my famous quotes apparently. I use it with my students all the time.

Today in our class with Uli Jungmair we were given the task of making up text to go with one of the rhythm pieces in Music for Children, Volume 1, pg.80. I think it's #3, but don't quote me on it. You can look it up. Better yet, I'll put it in Siblieus and see if I can post it. I'm getting the hang of this computer stuff you know.... Wait. No I can't. Copyright violation. I guess you will have to find it yourself. My text isn't copyrighted. If you like it, you can steal it.... in spite of what happens to the girl in the story!

Once there was a naughty little girl
She swore and she stole and she lied.

One fine day, the bad wolf came along
And he ate every bit of the girl.

Then the hunters chased the wolf
AND THEN the hunters caught the wolf
THE WOLF, he coughed,
THE WOLF, he burped,
And THEN HE GOT AWAY!!

You must pay attention to this girl,
Or else you will end up like her!

Of course I sat on a chair and "read" the story to my class, using a notebook as the story book. I think I may actually use this text.....

The Dreaded Magistrat

AGAIN!!!! I tried yet again (this is attempt #4) to properly register and deal with paperwork. I need to get this done fairly quickly because...... I HAVE A JOB!!!!

You can check the place out at: theenglishcenter.at

I have my first shift tomorrow. I'll be hosting a Round Table discussion in English but hopefully I can speak a little bit in German too.

So I gathered up some fortitude and once again tried to get things in order. This week the Servicepoint where I get my student card validated is actually open except maybe not tomorrow because it's St. Martin's Day and all the local children run around with lanterns and I forget why. It's a big traditional deal. Anyway, the hang up with my student ID card was that I didn't have a street number listed. The kind people managed to fix that problem, but the machine that actually validates the card and says "Good until..." was..... you guessed it..... not functioning and so I'll have to come back ANOTHER time (but probably not tomorrow) and take care of it then.

I didn't let it get me down. I figured that after three tries I had everything I needed to register at the Magistrat. Now "Registering" is a curious thing. I'm sure you remember the story of Mary and Joseph and how they had to go to his hometown to register and that's why the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I'll bet that you are well acquainted with the story. We have to register with the authorities within three days of our arrival (I'm about a month and a half late) and "deregister" when we leave the country. I suppose it's for census reasons or terrorist identification or maybe just to keep someone employed, but everyone has to do it.

I marched in to the office, sat down at the desk facing this formidable looking woman and greeted her with the customary "Grüss Gott" that they use in this part of Europe. All the papers checked out and I forked over my passport and my lease.
There was a silence and then "tippity tippity tippity" on the computer and then "shuffle shuffle shuffle." She was looking for something. Finally she said "You need a stamp." A STAMP?? "Right here." She pointed to a blank spot on the form. "You need stamp from Studentwerk" which as I may have stated before is open odd hours on odd days. "Go get stamp and come back."

I did what any normal rational human being would do. I leaned over and started banging my head on the desk. Seriously. She looked aghast for a minute, then said "It's okay. I give you the registration, but you need to bring the stamp before next week."

This is only a minor warmup for the Visa Tango. I fully expect to be deported.

On a different note, I went to a viola recital this evening. Salzburg is so full of music that you can lick it off the sidewalk. On any given day, there are three or four recitals that you can attend for free. The violist was from the States and giving her graduation recital. It was a great concert: Bach Suite, a contemporary suite and the Brahms F minor Sonata, which I have played, but on the piano. It was lovely.

It turns out that in my class there are two violinists, two violists, a cellist and a bass. One of the Spanish women is a pianist, so we're going to put together a chamber group and play the Schumann Piano Quintet. How cool is that? The people at the Institut say that it's really unusual to have so many string players. I think it's great fun.

I am going to be sore tomorrow. Andrea Ostertag really gave us a vigorous workout this morning. It was lots of fun... but I'm going to pay! Ouch.....

Oh yeah! Some drunk guy on the bus told me I was a "real woman". Guess I'll have to put it on my resume....

It's over!!

The election is over and now we can go back to our regular lives. One thing that is nice about being in Europe: no campaign ads! I personally spent election day totally ignoring the computer. I had spent Monday absolutely glued to the stupid thing and I decided that I needed a life and not a computer screen. So I set about on Tuesday to better myself and take some steps towards accomplishing things that I had intended to do when I came here.

I KNOW that I have mentioned the bureaucracy that seems to pervade every nook and cranny here. I have tried several times to "register" with the Magistrat. When you come to Austria, you have to register your presence and address with the local authorities. When you leave, you have to "unregister" or fill out another form and go to yet another office that's only open on Mondays and Thursdays....unless it's Saint Swithin's Day, in which case they are closed for a month.

I decided to start by getting my student ID card validated. I went to the appropriate office only to find that they are closed this week. No explanation. Maybe St. Swithin's Day is early this year? Next to the notice that the office was closed was another notice that a new section of beginning German was being offered because of high demand. WooT! I hurried upstairs to the correct office (which was only open for another 7 minutes) only to find that the class was already full. I said "Maybe if I go to the class and beg to be let in?" The secretary said "You can try." So off I went and sure enough, half the people that signed up for the class didn't show up (this I've found is somewhat typical) and I got a seat. The best part is.... it's FREE!!!!

Buoyed by the success with the German class, I went to the information window and asked if I could borrow a viola. I left mine at home assuming that since I was studying at the Mozarteum, I would be able to rent or borrow one. After making several phone calls, filling out many forms, going to a couple of different buildings and paying a nominal fee for insurance, I am the proud caretaker of an extremely nice viola that reminds me of my axe at home! Now I can play chamber music with my two classmates who are violinists and one of my professors who is a cellist. Additionally, I can play in the all comers non-auditioned orchestra for fun.

I was on a roll. Feeling extremely exuberant, I went over to the Magistrat to register. I managed to fill out the form correctly in German without help. Wow! Talk about empowered. I pulled out my passport and waited in line (of COURSE!) for the next available clerk. I smugly handed over my form and passport only to be told that I needed YET ANOTHER FORM!!!!! I didn't get mad. Having experienced so much success in other arenas prior to this one, I simply smiled and said "I'll be back".... to borrow a phrase from one of Austria's most famous ex-pats. I may go back tomorrow. Who knows?

I did do SOME surfing on the internet on Election Day. I found an article on CNN about Democrats Abroad (apologies to my Republican fan base) and after some surfing around discovered that there was a group here in Salzburg. Furthermore, they were having a pizza party to celebrate. All I had to do was RSVP.

The party was held at The English Center which turned out to be a coffee shop / book store owned by an American. The pizza was great and I am not usually a pizza fan. I met a composer, a painter and a nice man from Ohio who plays the French horn in a local orchestra. He told me which one but I forgot. I was chatting with the woman who owned the place and told her that I used to own a coffee shop and if she needed any help let me know because I was really experienced. She looked at me for a minute and said "As a matter of fact, I just placed an ad in the paper. I need someone for about 15 hours a week." The hours she needed covered fit exactly into my class schedule. I have a proper interview on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed! I don't even need to speak German! And I can teach some music classes to children whose parents want them to learn English. I'm really hoping it works out....

Now, here's a quiz question for all you Orff nerds out there. And I KNOW you're out there. St. Swithin's Day is a real day, I didn't make it up. Plus it is mentioned in Music for Children. Find it and I'll send you some Mozart balls. Maybe. First I need to land that job.....

Busted!!

I've posted about the Salzburg bus before and you may recall that there are plain clothes security people who routinely check for tickets. I've been checked twice. These checks occur at random hours of the day and you can't predict them. It's kind of like speed traps on the interstate except that at least with speed traps, you know the patrols are going to be out around the 15th of the month and at the end of the month. There's simply NO rhyme or reason to the bus ticket checks.
I purchased a monthly pass which burned me in the first place. I had to pay full adult price for it and not the student price because the Mozarteum does not consider us to be "real" students. Hey!! I eat ramen noodles!! that makes me a student!
Anyway, the last monatskarte that I bought was on October 3rd. Now, do I have to buy a new pass on the 1st of November (which was a national holiday... All Saints) or should I buy one on November 2nd (a Sunday and NOTHING is open), or is this one good until the time stamped on the 3rd of November? I was planning on buying a new ticket at the service point close to the Orff Institut and I figured that the bus was so crowded in the morning that I could at least ride over there in peace. Who's going to check on a crowded bus on a busy morning for tickets?

You know what's coming next......

Two guys got on the bus. They were young and looked enough like students. One of them even had an earring!! There was hardly anybody on the bus anymore. The Institut is not a hot spot in the scheme of things even though I really like it. So I got a little nervous when Earring Guy headed my way and said in perfectly comprehensible German "I need to see your ticket please." I understand a lot of German (good thing) but can't put a sentence together to save my soul. What's a girl to do?
Play dumb of course. I put on my blankest expression and said "huh?" He repeated the question and I said "What?" He heaved an exasperated sigh and said "teekett." Okay, so now I know his English is as good as my German. Even though my stop was rapidly coming up, I knew I didn't really have enough time to stall. I frittered around with my Obama travel mug and finally handed it to him and said "Hold this while I dig in my bag." At this point I knew he was ready to give up, but I dug anyway and produced the ticket. Rather than trying to explain to me that my ticket had expired he waved his hand and said "Okay."

It's a good thing I went to Mass last night. I'd better go again this weekend. And I DID buy a new pass, but I haven't validated it yet.......

2 November 2008

All Souls. The Dom. Mozart Requiem. I can die now.