Category: Diary

Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!

And I practiced even more today!!!  My fingers are worn out!!!  But I guess it needs to be done.  I’m starting to hear it in my sleep now.  I dreamt last night that I was up in front of hundreds of people, and forgot all the notes!!!

AWWWW!!!!!!

That was kind of a nightmare!!!

There was that E that the orchestra plays, and… nothing.

So of course I practiced a lot today.  Oh well.

Today was David’s last day of school!!!  He’s happy and looking forward to camp!!!  He wants to see his “girlfriend”.  Apparently the other “girlfriend” is really jealous but there’s nothing she can do.  I mean, she’s ten.  But she’ll get over it.  Even David just kind of shrugged.  The “easy come, easy go” was a bit much though, and Sabby scolded him for it.

As she should.  But, he’s eleven.  That, well, happens.  Dave and Sabby, however, took him into their room and had a very long talk with him.  He came out an hour later very red and wouldn’t look me in the eye.  Poor kid!  Haha!!!

Probably about that time, I guess.

Okay, I have more practicing to do tomorrow, and Friday nights are always for fun!!!  Marie wants to go to bed anyway.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! LLkojt

I mean, Lily!!!

My fingers are tired!!! I can’t type!!!

I practiced for six hours again today!!!

I spent one hour on eight bars!!!

Awww!!!!

But I’m getting a lot better!!! So there’s that!!!  Tomorrow I’m going back to see the conductor again.  The way he explained it to me is, I’m the soloist so I get to kind of be in charge, but it’s like a duet where I’m the piano and he’s the other instrument, so we have to work out what we’re going to do together.  It’s kind of fun!!!  But a LOT of work!!! This weekend I’m going to rehearse with the orchestra!

That cadenza is hard!  But sounds really cool!!!

He told me he’s not going to conduct me, because it’s disrespectful to conduct a soloist.  Good to know!

Sabby’s really getting tired of the piece, she said she’s starting to hear it in her sleep!  Hahaha!!!  I said that it’s kind of a part of my schooling, and she said she knows but it’s still a bit much, and I said it’ll be over soon.  I’m also rehearsing a little with Liz, because I have her recital again later.  And David’s heading off to camp next week!

So everyone’s got something going on, I guess.

Beth’s been doing a lot of stuff with her mentor.  She’s been teaching Beth some basic experiments and experimental protocol, and Beth says she didn’t know she didn’t know so much, but she’s really eager to learn.  I’m not sure she wants to do exactly what her mentor does, but she likes science, and says it’s more of a mindset than anything else.  Kind of like music, I guess!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to going to Japan in a couple of months!!! That’ll be fun!  Ai can’t wait too!!!  David wants to meet Hiroshi!!!

Maybe Hiroshi will teach him to be polite.

I don’t want to think about what he’ll teach Hiroshi.

Oh well.

Okay I have to sleep!  More practice tomorrow!!!

Love werotjyw !! ❤

HI! It’s me! Lily!

And I’m practicing like a madwoman!!!

The conductor gave me some really good tips so now I’m practicing and putting them into place, and trying to actually understand the music rather than just playing the notes.  That’s even harder than playing the notes!  He told he he’d been studying music for like thirty years and still doesn’t know everything.   I even asked the Texan Tinkerer guy because he plays piano too, and he told me to remember that all music is about context – notes are never by themselves but are shaped by the notes around them.  That’s really good advice!  He’s pretty smart, if a little… odd sometimes.

I mean, where do you think I got those animal hats I gave Allison?  Hahah!!!  He gave them to me when he moved.  He’s pretty nice.  Just odd.

So I’m spending almost all my time practicing now.  I think today I practiced like six hours.  I think Sabby’s getting really annoyed, but I told her that at least I’m taking it seriously, she bought me the piano, and if she doesn’t like it she can go bake something.  This seemed to both piss her off and make her proud of me, and that’s the weirdest facial expression.. haha!!!  But It old her that I’ll back off a little after the concert, and she just grumbled and went off to do Sabby stuff.

But anyway, I came up for air tonight.  Beth’s also practicing her singing, and David’s taken to wearing earplugs everywhere.  Hahah!!!  She wants me to accompany her at her first recital, and I said I would IF it’s after Liz and I do her recital because I’m getting all played out and one thing at a time.  She said it won’t be for a few months and she’d pay me a little.  I said she doesn’t have to pay me because I make plenty, but maybe she can do me a favor or two.

Anyway, my fingers are tired.

Monday is Memorial Day and we”re planning a HUGE picnic!!!  It’s so huge all the fathers are pooling their grills!  Haha!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

Today I went down to the high school to meet with the music director!

I played through the concerto for him.  He thought I did a pretty good job, but showed me some places where I got the interpretation a little off.  But all in all, it went well.  Then he invited me to stay for his class,, and I sat in a corner and watched him rehearsing with the orchestra!  It was interesting, hearing the parts in person!

Then at the end, he wanted me to play with the orchestra just for a few measures just to see how it felt, and wow, it felt so weird.  I’ve been playing by myself for so long, it feels completely different with an orchestra plugging away in my left ear.  It’ll take some getting used to!

But at least school is over for the summer, at least at ACC, and their school year ends Thursday, so then we’ll have a LOT of time to rehearse.  I guess their orchestra, while it’s a class, is also kind of an extracurricular activity, and they’ll have a concert in June, even though their “real” classes have ended.  Gotta love music nerds, right?  Haha!!!

It’s actually nice seeing so many students my age actually dedicated to doing something.  I like it.

Oh, speaking of school being over, both Beth and I did pretty well.  I didn’t really mention our midterms and stuff because of so much other stuff going on, but we passed, and I guess that’s all that matters, right?  We’ll need to register for next year soon.  We’ve still got a lot of credits to go.  I’m kinda glad we did that, it’s working out pretty well.

After school’s out here (for people who aren’t me), I think we’re going to have a big end of school party!  With all the girls!  It’ll be fun!!!

Oh, Allison sent me a thank you card today for her present!  How sweet!  And she’s good at drawing too!!!  She drew me!  Even my floppy bits!  Haha!!!  But I hear Milo’s a bit sick.  Aww.  Hope he gets better.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

And I love Fridays!!!!!

Love them a lot!!!

Almost as much as Jack!  But I love Jack more!!!

I’m over at Liz’s tonight, and the girls are with Beth.  Who knows what they’re doing?  They can get silly.  MAybe Diana’s making her famous tacos!

It’s supposed to storm tonight.  But Liz and I are chatting and eating chocolate and everything’s fine.  She ordered a pizza and we pigged out and ate chocolate and drank some Chinese soda which was really good.  I tried introducing her to Ramune but she couldn’t figure out how to get it open.  She’s smart but not that smart!

So anyway, pretty boring day actually.  Nothing really big going on, just the usual.  Maybe this weekend I’ll make some more videos!!!  I don’t know though.  I’m pretty busy most of the time, what with practicing and all that.  But we’ll see!  Beth might teach me a few tricks!~

Okay, Liz wants to go to bed.  I’m sleepy too.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

And it’s Thursday!

… not that that really means anything.  But it’s Friday lite!  That’s what Dave likes to say!  Friday eve! Haha!!!

It was another boringly boring day.  Nothing huge going on.  Classes, eating, you know… the usual.

Jack made me blush!  Remember what I said about my right floppy bit having reservations about him?  Boy said he’d try to win her over!

Haha!!! …  Awww.  Remember what happened last time…

Okay… ummm…  otherwise, quiet.  I told Emiko and Liz about the private jet, and they were amazed!  Of course they’re taking him up on it!  What better way to fly a twelve hour flight?  Robert seemed a little proud, he gets to show off a little.  Well, he can show off all he wants, if we can fly to Japan in style!!!

David’s starting to get a little excited, he wants to see Akihabara!

… and a maid cafe.

I guess he’s growing up.

Well, two girlfriends does that to you.  Hahah!!!

Well, he has one girlfriend now.  The other one’s parents found out.  I think I mentioned that.  Little player..

Okay!  Marie wants to go out before bed…  oh.  We need to figure out what to do with Marie and Cat when we all go to Japan!  Maybe Allison would like a playmate for Milo!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

And I’m shocked!

I don’t usually get shocked, but I’m shocked!!!

So remember how I joked that we might need to charter a plane to Japan?

Well…

So with my family and Emiko’s family, that’s, umm…  one two.. .haha!  Nine people.  Five of us, four of them.  And then add in Robert’s family, that’s three more.  Twelve…  and then Rebecca’s friends, that’s four more… Kari, Britni, Chelsi, and Yu.  That’s sixteen people.  And of course Liz wants to come too, so seventeen.  So as it turns out, Robert has access to a company plane!

Now, we still have to pay for its use.  It’s not like we get a free flight.  But he’s worked it out so that we only have to pay what we’d pay a commercial airline!  He said that he’ll meet up with some clients in Japan so it’s legit and everything.  I guess he’s past due for a trip there anyway.

So we get to take a private charter plane to Japan!

Wow!!!!

He can also book hotels through his company.  We have to pay for them, but he gets a group rate, and, well… we get to stay at a really nice hotel!!!

That’s so cool!!!

I’m not upset at all about paying for it.  I mean, paying commercial rates for a charter plane?  Can’t beat that!

I wonder if it’ll be a dedicated commercial plane or something nicer?

Well, we’ll find out.

Sometimes I don’t feel lucky, and sometimes…

In other news, I finally memorized the entire concerto!  It’s really hard, but I got it!  I played it all the way through today!  That last part is awful!  So many notes!  I wish… I wish I remembered learning.  It feels so weird to just be able to play something so complicated.  But it’s fun too.  Not a moment too soon, I meet the conductor next week to go through it.  He’ll work with me a bit and then I’ll rehearse with the orchestra!

I’ve never played with an orchestra before!!!

I need my gown cleaned!

Hahah!!!

I hope the conductor realizes I’m inexperienced too.  It’s not like he’s getting some concert pianist like Martha Argerich or some such.  He’s just getting lil’ awkward teenage me.  But then, it’s a high school orchestra, I guess we’re all awkward and teenage.

I had an idea today!  But I’m not telling yet!!!

Oh and Allison loved her presents!  Yay!!!  I didn’t really get a chance to go see her for her birthday but I made sure she got her presents!!! 

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!

So I didn’t post last night.  I didn’t mention it, but Jack and I were going to go on a date Saturday night, but that didn’t work out.  I guess he had a family thing or something,  His parents are being a little more strict about that kind of thing – family first, date second.  I guess I can understand that.  But last night we were finally able to go out, and we had a long talk.

A really long talk.

I don’t know if anything was actually settled, but the talk is important.

We talked about our future together.

After the kind of, er scare I had, it seems like a really important thing to talk about.  Am I serious about him?  Is he serious about me?  What would happen if I were to actually, well, you know?  Would he run away like Katie’s ex did?  How would he support us?  How would he keep Sabby from killing both of us?

Hahah… but I’m only half kidding, honestly.  She might maim, anyway.

So anyway, we talked for way longer than we should – I got home too late.  Sabby wasn’t happy but when I told her what we were doing she was okay with it.  He says the same with his parent.s  We didn’t get any, ummm.. “alone” time but I think that was a good thing this time.

I’m not going to say exactly what we all said, but I think it had a good outcome.  We understand each other a little better now.  I don’t think he’d leave me.  But he knows as well as I do how difficult it would be, so…  we understand each other.

I really do think I lucked out with him.

But we’re both seventeen now, we’re nearly adults… it’s not just teenagers romping around anymore, is it?  We have a future to think about.

We talked about marriage, too, someday.  Not on my 18th birthday – Sabby would kill me – but not wasting a huge amount of time either.  Honestly, with the business, I could probably support us, but that’s not how Jack wants to do it, and I guess I understand.  He doesn’t really know what he wants to do for a career either, and, well, it’s probably a good time to decide.  I don’t really know for myself, either.  Maybe be a businesswoman, but….  I don’t know.

And with all the economic stuff going on right now that Dave’s worried about… who knows what the future holds.

But I can’t imagine a future without him in it.

And maybe that’s what love’s all about after all.

I love you, Jack.  ❤ With all my heart, and my left floppy bit too.  Haha!!!  My right one has reservations, but she’ll come around eventually.

And…

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!

Beth made a YouTube today!!!

I put it on my channel so you all can find it!!! She wanted to make something fun and educational at the same time!  I think she did a good job!  She wrote the script and did the animations and everything!

… she’s better at that than I am.

Aww.

Anyway, I thought she did a good job!!!

So anyway, this morning we went to church, and you know, stand up, sit down, sing, listen, sing more, and eat chocolate pancakes.  Then after that, it was a nice day – if a little humid, so Dave grilled!!! I love it when Dave grills!!!  It’s one of my favorite things, other than chocolate!!!

But other than that it was a pretty quiet day.  Allison’s tenth birthday is tomorrow, I’m not sure what they have planned, but I have something for her!!!  I hope she likes it!!!

It was a quiet Sunday, I guess.  Other than all that, I just practiced a lot.  I mean, really, a lot.  But I made some pretty good progress on the third movement.  A lot of notes.  Aww.  And some of them are pretty hard!

David stayed up way too late with his new console and fell asleep in church!  Hahah!  The pastor said something loud and he jumped and made noise!  Everyone looked at him!  Haha!!!

But now it’s time for bed.  Aww.

Goodnight!

Love you all!!! ❤