Category Archives: Gamelan

2016 Recap

1 Reply

I admit to being a terrible blogger…when the semester hits the fan I am nowhere to be found, it would appear.  But looking back…it would also appear that when the summer hits the fan I am nowhere to be found, either!  I am going to forgive myself and simply inform any readers that my blog-absence is my way of demonstrating my human failing so that YOU can do the same in some other way and we can still love and respect one another.

My blog absence had NOTHING to do with BIG things happening in my life (which makes the fact that I did not document them even more absurd).  I traveled to Bali, Indonesia with my gamelan troop and performed at the Bali Arts Festival. I said goodbye to my “surrogate” mother who died on Mother’s Day (of all things!) and was memorialized in August in a beautiful service. We acquired new family members, Luke and Lorelai, the parakeets.  I got half a new knee (the surgery from which I am still recuperating).  I read 21 books (actually I listened to 21 books).  I knitted a bunch of lovely things.  Friends got hitched (shout out to Tom and Stuart, Shannon and Jonathan).  An election shit show was endured.  We (collectively) lost Carrie Fischer, Glenn Frey, Leonard Cohen, Mohammed Ali, Richard Adams, and many other pivotal public figures.  And a bunch of my beloved undergraduate students got themselves graduated!

ginas-hitchhikershepherds-crown

 

2016-jon-socks general-leia 2016-luke-and-loralie7 img_20160630_174355

On this the eve of 2017 I hope/intend/promise myself to do the following next year:

  • Listen to or read 25 books
  • Avoid purchasing any new yarn (there are a few exceptions to this resolution)
  • meditate 20 minutes four times per week
  • go to the gym four times per week
  • Work on my scholarship for at least half an hour four times per week
  • Post on this blog twice a month (at least)!

A Tale of Two Cults: Chapter 2

4 Replies

This time ’round the “cult” in focus is actually a “culture”.  I am headed to Bali to participate in a music arts festival.  No lie.

Copies 05 27 2016 257 Copies 05 27 2016 561

In the first shot I believe we see the backs of both Alice and Logan, two members of my Gamelan orchestra.  The second shot is my gong. *My* gong.  Yep.

In about December of 2015 my dear friend Janelle invited me, for about the 10th time, to come to see her Gamelan group perform at Gettysburg College.  I happened to be free and I popped by…a nice way to spend some time knitting, I thought.  I. WAS. ENCHANTED.  Completely.  I even left my knitting bag on the floor of the auditorium and…LEFT IT THERE…I was so taken (I had to hunt it down days later at the Campus security office where they were somewhat amused by my stricken plea: I’ve lost my knitting and I hope you have it!  “Ma’am…we don’t get much knitting in the lost and found so you can be sure we still have it here.”

Anyway, that day in December (or November…whatever) I took off my shoes and made my way on to the stage after the concert and just gaped.  I HAD to play this music.  The professor in charge, Dr. Brent Talbot, said “sure” (actually, he screamed from across campus, “Kris!  Are you in?”  My kind of guy!).  I started playing with them every Friday starting in January and I cannot imagine a better way to end a week.

Now, everyone needs to understand I have NO MUSIC BACKGROUND except I like to listen to it.  Mostly alt rock and folk rock with a few musical theatre show tunes (who am I kidding: with A LOT of musical theatre show tunes).  I don’t know a note from a hole in the ground.  I can sing Do Re Me from the Sound of Music.  Except for the occasional church choir I never had a music class IN MY LIFE.  And I think everyone in the orchestra will admit I am the “weak link”…but they are all so good natured about my sincere attempts to learn it.  I am determined not to be an embarrassment.

When it was announced that the troupe would travel to Bali this summer to participate in a music arts festival I immediately jumped in.  Got a new passport (it had been THAT long since I’d had international travel), a few immunizations, a travel cpap machine…I am all set to go.  I’m not sure how easy it will be to document the trip while we are there…but I’ll try.

And guess what ELSE???  I’m totally going to document the religious and spiritual aspects of the culture and the music and create a lecture for my Psychology of Religion and Spirituality class.  I understand there are Hindu temples galore on the island and I hope, hope, hope I can take photographs!

Bon voyage!