Yesterday was a bit weird. I had two performances experiences that ended up being the opposite of what I expected, at church and at a party. At church, Dawn and I performed the Brahms cello sonata movement we have been working on for the prelude. I was a bit worried that people would be insensitive. Dawn can get upset and distracted when people move into her performing space making noise (talking). I think this is pretty understandable and try to do what I can to make her safe to play.

We have had instances where people actually have poked her while she played.

Anyway, I did talk to an older altar boy about making sure they didn’t loiter near her and make noise.

This turned out not to be very necessary. The piece we played was about eleven minutes long. About seven minutes into it, I noticed that the people in the room were very quiet, quieter than usual. I think they were listening.

I wondered later if it had been an example of the rewards of my stubborn persistence to try to do quality stuff in the hopes that people might be drawn to listen and/or respect the music.

Later Dawn and I and Amy all played at Rhonda’s party as we promised. I was surprised that people at the party seemed so disinterested in what we were doing. The french doors were open and there seemed to be screen doors. But when the flute player played I went outside and could barely hear her and the piano not at all. I know Rhonda appreciated our music. But for the most part I think the music performed by us and other instrumentalists was unheard and barely noticed. The performances all day were pretty good. I know I enjoyed playing.

I finished Shark’s Fins and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-sour Memoir of Eating in China by Fuschia Dunlop this morning. It was a great read. I especially appreciated her writing style and the many stories she told of her experiences in China. If you are interested in Chinese cooking or life, I recommend it.

I’m not sure how well I will be connected to the internet in China. My daughter and her husband have VPN which allows full access but we are staying in a hotel. I’m hoping they will help me install a VPN if I need one to use my laptop there.

At any rate, the blog might be sporadic for about a week and a half while I’m away.