Christmas came early this year!

Since coming back from Thanksgiving break, something wonderful has happened...

I've recieved my copy of "In Concert," the Kenyon College Chamber Singers CD comprising recordings from junior and senior year ('03-'04 and '04-'05). I've been listening to it pretty much nonstop, because it's wonderful. I'm fairly certain that my fellow public transit passengers wonder why I'm grinning at everybody all the time, and I know the checkout boy at the grocery store felt a bit put upon since I was humming the alto line of Sweelinck's "Gaudete Omnes" with one ear-bud in while he attempted to complete my purchase... but I can't stop! It's intoxicating to relive the music, to anticipate the swell of each familiar crescendo and feel the gentle restraint of 50-odd voices carrying a line pianissi-issi-issimo. It's part of my life that brings me great joy and pride, and having a lasting reminder of our efforts and accomplishments is a boon beyond compare.

For any fellow CS alums who have not yet purchased a copy, do so! Here's the track list to whet your appetite:

1. How Can I Keep From Singing? -arr. Ronald Staheli
2. Gaudete omnes -Jan Pieterzsoon Sweelinck
3. Ave Maria -Jean Mouton
4. Adonai ro'i -Judith Shatin
5. I will sing of life -Adolphus Hailstork
6. To His Music -Andrew Rindfleisch
7. Sometimes I Feel -arr. Robert Shaw and Alice Parker
8. Mundi renovatio [Renewal of the Earth] -György Orbàn
9. Lux aetera -Steven Bartek '04
   
10. Gaudeamus igitur -Jetse Bremer
11. In beauty may I walk -Jonathan Dove
12. Warum ist das Licht gegeben den Mühseligen -Johannes Brahms
13. Véñiki [Brooms] -arr. F. Rubtsov
14. Mata del anima sola -Antonio Estévez
15. I love my love -arr. Gustav Holst
16. Umahlalela [The Loafer] -arr. Mzilikazi Khumalo
17. Kokosing Farewell -arr. Benjamin "Doc" Locke

I'll admit to a slight twinge of dissapointment that our 2005 rendition of Bach's "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied" didn't make the cut, but given the quality of what made it in I can see how devoting 15 minutes of the CD to a single piece when combining two years' worth of material would have been impractical. (Luckily for me I've gotten used to singing along to the '96-'97 choir's version on "As Torrents in Summer!")

In other awesome news, here's hard proof of my vocabulo-rifficness, via FreeRice:

This screen cap is a bit small, but look carefully... that's right, a natural 49! I actually got the two subsequent questions right as well and came within a single answer of the much-coveted 50 before missing and losing it! For those of you playing at home, the correct answer is freeze-dry
(Highlight above to reveal! Ooooh, special effects!)

Everybody should go play some more, especially with the new tracking features. Maybe someday they'll also add a "your most frequent level" category... I still spend lots of time at 44, but 45s and 46s are becoming more prevalent, and it would be nice to track my progress.

Word games and a good cause, oh my!

Try the FreeRice vocabulary game! According to the site, it's rare for anyone to get beyond level 48 (of 50). Two thousand grains in with no dictionary and I'm consistently hitting level 44 and occasionally making a run all the way up to 46, only to hit a string of toughies. Can you do better?