More Musings....
...born of my efforts to procrastinate, of course. Whatever, I'm feeling philosophical, and it's not like I actually have any work to do.

Two thoughts have been gestating recently:

- I know that I am ready to graduate, not only because of my increasing frustration with the futility of academia and general restlessness and lack of focus, but also because I am eager to move to the next phase of my education: self-education. One of the greatest skills Yale has imparted to me is HOW to go about learning, and structuring a course of study independenly. I am growing increasingly impatient with my coursework, because at this point, I am ready to learn on my own. I am eager to pursue my own interests in a perpetual course of independent study.

- The second thought pertains to extracurriculars - especially music and specifically Glee Club. Glee Club has owned my life the past two weeks, but I'd be lying if I said I minded. I've really enjoyed the concerts I've had this semester, but even more than I've enjoyed the concerts, I've enjoyed the PROCESS. Though I am eager to graduate, I will truly miss this group of people, and being under the direction of a very dedicated, charismatic, and talented conductor.
- posted by Nicole @ 8:15 PM

 
Lack of Focus...
The sudden increase in my blogging activity may or may not have clued you in to my utter and complete lack of focus on my schoolwork. I fly home for break on Thursday...
- posted by Nicole @ 7:29 PM

 
Interesting Insight on Iraq
I was doing some reading for my seminar this afternoon, and came across a really interesting tidbit about Iraq. It came from a book by Lawrence Freedman (whose work I used a lot to write my senior essay), in a chapter where he discusses the US's failures in Iraq in terms of strategic communications. He cites the work of a cultural-anthropologist, who points out that some of the most egregious errors US forces have made come from a lack of understanding of Iraqi culture. The two points that struck me as most interesting were that 1) American troops often misinterpreted and found threatening the Iraqi propensity to get physically close to people they are adressing, and 2) that the hand gestures for "stop" are reversed in American and Iraqi cultures (which often leads to incidents of tragedy at roadblocks).

These sorts of misunderstandings have a devastating effect on the American attempts to stabilize the country. We suffer from an accute lack of appreciation and respect for their culture, and we seem to have the impression that military might will solve everything. But in a process as delicate as nation-building, combind with counter-terrorism/counter-insurgency operations, the support of the local population is absoutely crucial to success. There is much talk of winning "hearts and minds", but I wonder if we are really committed to pursuing this strategy and understand the amount of effort (and the type of effort) it requires...
- posted by Nicole @ 7:20 PM

 
Mahler 3
It's been a really busy concert season: last weekend I had the Faure Requiem and my (last!) Saybrook Orchestra concert. Tonight, the Glee Club women sang with the School of Music orchestra - the Philharmonia - on Mahler Symphony 3. It was a nice experience, but I don't really have much to say about the symphony itself, except maybe that it's eternal. Seriously. It's about 2 hours long, and it goes absolutely NOWHERE. It's the most boring symphony I've ever heard. And then the end is really overblown (literally) and gaudy, celebrating something that didn't happen. I enjoyed the trombone soloes - which where pretty amazing. The Philharmonia has a great brass section (and an even better percussion section!), but I was unimpressed by the winds, especially their principal oboist. The Elm City Girl's choir did the children's choir parts, and they are incredibly talented. I love it when we get the chance to sing with them. But really, the whole performance left me thoroughly unmoved. I mean, especially compared with Mahler 2, which sort of rips your soul out, twists it around three times, and sticks it back it. I cry literally every time I listen to it. In comparison to the 2nd Symphony, the 3rd is almost mundane. I liked the first movement, but I wished it stopped there. Instead, there's a bunch of lethal slow movements, and a gaudy finale.

So, I amused myself by thinking of all my favorite classical works, and I thought I'd list them.

At the top, tied for my favorite, are Mahler No. 2 and Tchaikovsky No. 6.

The next tier is the Faure Requiem, the Mozart Requiem, and Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2.

Next would be Tchaikovsky No. 5, Beethoven No. 3, and Saint-Saens No. 3
- posted by Nicole @ 10:59 PM