Why I love classical music

Why are there people who don't like classical music?  Do they think it's boring?  Snobbish?  Only for old people and nerds?  I gotta say, those are some pretty unfair assumptions right there.  (Well, I mean, there is of course some nerdiness going on here, but really, what music fan isn't at least a little bit of a nerd?)

Okay sure, we don't get that much exposure to classical music these days, and that might be part of the reason -- it's not like Mozart and Rachmaninoff are on TV or Vevo lip-syncing and shaking their goodies (yeah, I just said that).  (Since I sort of bring it up, though, according to my mom, classical music was the "pop music" of the time when she was a college student in China.  Just in case you were curious.)

Below are the reasons why I love classical music, and why those who haven't really listened to it should at least give it a chance:

1.  It's beautiful and exciting.

Again, I ask, Who says classical music is boring?  There's a reason it's been around for hundreds of years -- it sounds good; people like it; and on top of all that, it showcases the talents of composer, conductor, and musicians.

One thing about classical music is it's complexity.  The composers need a lot of skill to turn out the pieces they wrote (huge understatement).  But the composers themselves being geniuses is not enough:  It's up to the conductor and the musicians to turn the notes on the paper into rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and (dare I say it) feelings.

That's right, feelings.  Because I have a theory that it's impossible to listen to any kind of music without feeling something.  Love, anger, disgust, confusion, happiness, sadness, excitement...  Even when I'm listening to The Beatles or Lady Gaga, I feel these things -- never mind when I'm listening to a good classical piece, which can leave me drowning in a flood of emotions.  Or holding my breath, on the edge of my seat from excitement.

And besides all that, there is the simple fact that just watching an orchestra play is awesome.  Seeing the musicians move with the music, seeing the bows and trombones move in unison, and seeing the conductor get worked up over the music is just one of the coolest things.

For samples of some of my favorites pieces, click through the YouTube links that I posted above.

2.  It connects you with people from centuries ago.

I admit, this is not one of the things that I think about often when I'm sitting around or playing the violin in orchestra.  Still, when I realized that, Wow, some genius guy wrote this piece a really, really long time ago, and now I was playing the notes that he wrote, it's kind of mind humbling.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it so fascinating that it wasn't even recordings, but notes on pieces of paper that got handed down through so many generations, and now here are are, trying to understand what the composer wanted us to do with those notes.  We're hearing what they heard so long ago, but still, we're not hearing the same thing.  (Make sense?)

3.  It makes me feel sophisticated.

Okay, so I know I said that classical music isn't just for snobs, but I do have to admit that it is kind of satisfying listening to people talk about Ke$ha and Drake and things like that, and then turning around and talking to my friend about the piece in orchestra that we're playing.  I mean, I wouldn't say that I feel superior for liking classical music -- just, you know, kind of hipster or something.  Because even though I'm saying that more people should like classical music, it is a relatively small community that actually does listen to it.  But, you know, I'm happy to be in that community.

Introducing... the Why I Love series!

So, I was in China, brainstorming blog ideas, typing them up in my iPod, when I realized that a lot of my ideas started with "Why I love..."  (Now that I think about it, I was probably inspired by my earlier post, "Four reasons why I love The Beatles.")  I carried the idea further and discovered that I love a lot of things -- things that other people might not necessarily like or understand; things that people don't think about usually; and things that lots of people like, but there needs to be a list of reasons why those things are awesome.

Now, without further ado, I present the first post in my Why I Love series (well, technically it's the second, if you count my first Beatles post, but this can be the first official post in the series.  Anyway, without further ado...):  Why I love classical music!

I'm back!

Hello, everyone!

My apologies for neglecting this blog for so long.  (Wait, who am I apologizing to, again?  No followers.  Sigh.)  Anyway, I've been back from China for a while, now, and I came up with a lot of ideas while I was there.  The hard part is actually sitting still and writing it all down.  So I've decided that I will try to get at least three posts up each week.

In other news, it's getting to that time when I have to start shopping, cleaning, and packing for college.  (I leave on the 19th!  How exciting is that?)  So I'll be writing about those sort of things, too, if I can think of anything.  Soon, this blog's name will change from "The Lazy Pre-Frosh" to "The Lazy Freshman," and that will just be too awesome.

I'm going to China!

So there will be no new posts these next two-and-a-half weeks, which, you know, is okay because I don't have any followers yet, but it will definitely not help me gain any followers.  On the plus side, I'll definitely have a lot of things to write about once I get back.  Toodle-loo.

How to give a great gift without even trying

So you've just been invited to a birthday party!  Hooray!  Man, how popular are YOU.  After this initial euphoria wears off, however, you're stuck with that whole issue of actually having to buy something for the lucky birthday boy or girl, and you can't for the life of you think of what to get.  Fear not, this handy guide will teach you how to give a great, seemingly thoughtful gift (whether for birthdays or other occasions) without even trying.


Giving Gifts to Girls

Step 1.  Get thee to a Walmart.

Walmart has everything, and for cheap prices.  And as long as you don't go out and buy anything that has the Walmart / Sam's Club / Costco logo on it, you're golden.  If you have complaints about Walmart's business practices or whatever, I guess you could go to a... a Whole Foods or something?

And if you were thinking of going to the mall or some boutique to look for the perfect present, I'm just going to ask you right now to leave from this lazy person's guide to gift-giving, because going to the mall requires a lot of shopping around and walking.


Step 2.  Consider your gift-giving options.

It helps if you know a little bit about the girl for whom you're shopping.  For example, does she have any favorite movies, bands, or authors?  Consider getting her a DVD, CD, or book -- it makes you seem thoughtful because you remembered something about her interests.  (In the case of book-giving, return to Step One, and get thee to a Barnes & Noble.)  Just make sure that she doesn't already own a copy of whatever you're getting her, because that just makes it awkward.  This will take some sly detective work from you, but I'm confident you can do it.

If you're shopping for a girl with whom you're not that familiar, or you just weren't paying much attention when she was talking about how much she loves The Beatles, there are a few generic gifts that almost any girl wouldn't mind getting:

• Lotion:  Walmart actually has lotion scents that can compare with those of Bath & Body Works.  Make sure to do a smell check before buying -- if you don't like the smell, she probably won't like it either.
• Fuzzy socks:  Basically, all girls love fuzzy socks.  (That might be a bit of a generalization.)  If I'm shopping for someone during the fall or winter, I will often get a pair of fuzzy socks and lotion that are the same color for the appearance of epic thoughtfulness.
• Make up or nail polish:  Be a little careful here -- not all girls wear make up and nail polish.  If you know your friend even a little, though, you should know if she does or does not.  For those of us who do wear make up or nail polish, we like variety, so we certainly wouldn't mind getting more.
• Chocolate:  Chocolate is an excellent and delicious bag-filler, for when it looks like you didn't buy enough.  And if your girl friend doesn't like chocolate...  LOL JK, that's never gonna happen. *

I also advise you to stay away from clothes, unless you're absolutely certain that you know your girl friend's tastes and size.

* I'm just kidding!  There are some crazies out there who dislike chocolate, so if you need to fill space in your bag, just get some other candy.


Step 3.  Buy a gift bag and some tissue paper.

Gift bags and tissue paper let you "wrap" your gift in approximately ten seconds, but at the same time, they give your gift a cute look.  For maximum cuteness, match the color(s) of the gift bag and tissue paper with the main color(s) of your gift.  And if you're feeling particularly cheap or lazy, recycle a gift bag or tissue paper from previous gifts that you've received!


Step 4.  For the creative types, don't buy a card.

Consider making one.  Sure, it takes a bit more work than just picking a Hallmark off the shelf at Walmart, but it can be fun, and it gives your present another thoughtful-ness point.  To avoid seeming cheap, subtly mention how you feel that homemade cards are much more personal than store-bought cards and just better.

Tips for making an awesome birthday card:

• Make it on card stock or thick construction paper.  If there's none around, fold printer paper twice (into fourths) to make the card thicker.
• Draw something cute.  Girls love cute things.  Like bunnies.  And bunnies eating flowers.
• Start your note on the inside with "Dear..."
• Don't forget to mention "Happy Birthday!"
• If you need to fill up space, draw birthday related things, such as gift-wrapped presents, balloons, and cakes with the correct number of candles.

Even if you're not the artistic type, you might be surprised at how cute drawings turn out when a non-artistic type tries to draw something.  At any rate, your giftee will appreciate the effort.


Step 5.  Take off the price tag.

Please don't forget to do this.


Step 6 (optional).  Bask in the glory of a job lazily done.

Arrive at your friend's house and give your gift with a smile and hug, knowing that your gift is passable, and you barely had to do anything!


Giving Gifts to Guys

Step 1.  A gift card to GameStop.

Or to a sports store, if he's more of a sporty guy.  Or to a book store, if he's more of a bookish guy.  Or cash, if he's one of those hard-to-shop-for hipsters.  The point is, I don't know anything about buying gifts for guys.

Why I hate texting

Don't get upset!  It's not that I dislike the people who text, it's just that I find it annoying when people text while I'm talking to them or text during class (or worse, while driving!).  And I'm not saying that other people shouldn't text; these are just the reasons that I will probably never start texting all the time.


1.  What's the point?

Maybe it's because I don't text, but I see no way that you can have a real, full conversation with text messages.  On my iPod touch, it's hard for me to type and spell things correctly, so I end up writing shorter comments on Facebook or whatever than I normally would.  Basically, I'm saying that with your ability to communicate lessened like that, each text response might be one or two sentences each, which is not what a normal conversation should be like, for me.  If you want to talk to someone, just call them, yeah?

Sure, sometimes texting can be convenient, and I text my mom and friends occasionally to let them know where I am, that kind of thing.  But I just don't see the point of devoting time and attention to an entire texting conversation.


2.  It's distracting.

So, so distracting.  In class, it distracts your attention away from the teacher and learning (I know, it sounds so nerdy); on the road, it makes it so that you can't pay attention fully, putting yourself and other drivers in danger.  And in any other situation where texting wouldn't interfere, you could almost always call instead.  So again, I don't see the point.


3.  It's annoying for people around you.

Am I the only one who gets annoyed when people I'm talking to pull out their phones to check and reply to their texts?  It makes me feel like they'd rather be talking to someone else or they think I'm boring or something.  And... even if I am boring, at least keep it a secret from me!  It seems to me that texting cuts you off from conversations going on around you and discourages other people from talking to you.


Again, I don't mean to preach, and I'm not saying that everyone should stop texting; I just wanted to get my thoughts out there.  I'd love to hear your views on this, but please just remember to be nice!

Four reasons why I love The Beatles

Four reasons why I love the Beatles

How's that?  Seriously though, there is so much to love about these guys.  This list would probably be longer, but I need it to fit in with my pun above.


1.  Their Hair / Suits / Smiles / General Adorable-ness

Anybody can see that these boys are a couple of handsome fellas.  I mean, just look at Ringo's smile!  Is that not the cutest thing that you've seen since the last kitty you saw?  And the suits that they wore during the AHDN days!  I hope I don't need to explain how suits make good-looking guys look good-looking-er.

One thing I want to point out, though, is that while I love their later musical works, this era's clothing and clean-shaven appearance best suits my fancy.


2.  Accents

What is it about accents that make English men irresistible?  How can the words "girl" and "world" as sung by the Beatles be the cutest things an American girl has ever heard?  I will never know, but I don't complain.


3.  Talent

Their gorgeous voices, perfectly comfortable harmonies, effortless skills at multiple instruments, beautiful and meaningful compositions, and occasionally, downright witty lyrics that make me want to laugh out loud.

How is it even possible that there exist/existed people with so much talent.


4.  Revolutionized pop music

Okay, this might be an over-statement -- everyone has his or her own opinions as to when pop music started and who did it best.  (In my eyes, it was the Beatles.)  But listen to a couple of the Beatles' albums in order, and you can hear their evolution from love-song-y boy band to full-out rockers / innovators.  I love the early songs, middle songs, and later songs, but to me, the changes in their lyrics and style show how they grew up and matured during those ten years.


So anyway, those were the ramblings of an obsessive fangirl.  (Also, there was a lot of Paul in this post, because he's my favorite.)  You're free to disagree with me, but please just be nice about it!