Project 365 New Things: Days 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48. Whelp.

My apologies for being absent so long. I have been doing challenges each day, but I've honestly had a lot going on, and been unable to spend a lot of time online. So, I shall now do my best to mentally re-stitch the crazy, threadbare, patchwork quilt that has been my week in an attempt to reconstruct for you the challenges that I've done while I was away from all you lovely humans.

Day 44: I finished reading Two Gentlemen of Verona, a Shakespeare play that I had never studied, seen, or read before. I'm currently working on a monologue from that play for Young Company.

Day 45: I learned how to write a geometry proof by contradiction. Whoop-de-do. But honestly, it was kind of fascinating. I like them much better than normal proofs; I feel like they're more creative.

Day 46: I finished reading A Tale of Two Cities. I may or may not have started crying on the Metro.

Day 47: I used a Shakespeare lexicon for the first time. And I. Want. One.

Day 48: Today, I discovered the sheet music from some songs I had written when I was about four years old. Now, before you begin wondering how on earth I learned to write music when I was four, let me assure you that it was transcribed for me at the time by my father. For the first time, I played these pieces that I had written with the eye and ear of someone who actually understands music theory. I've gotta say, I wasn't awful when I was four. The songs actually have discernible melody lines (for the most part), stay within a given key, and (mostly) follow the basic rules of music and melody. That being said, the four songs I wrote are creatively titled "Lemon Drop," "The Doughnut Song," "Lollipop," and "Cupcake." The lyrics are even more amusing and confection inspired. I'll upload clips if I get a chance tomorrow.

I really am sorry for my absence. I know that the few of you who read this blog aren't exactly waiting on pins and needles to devour my every post as soon as I publish it, but I said I'd be more on top of this, and I wasn't. Honestly, it makes my life easier if I don't have to try to remember the things I did for the challenge for a string of days, so I'll definitely be making more of an effort from here on out to write about a challenge the day I do it.

Onwards!
~Maddie

New piano piece: 123 Miles Away

I wrote this piece last spring. Please excuse the poor-quality recording; my computer has a limited microphone and my piano is pretty bad. By the way, I should say why I've posted this as a video.

Once upon a time, there was a young maiden who was way more comfortable with the kind of keyboard that has a damper pedal attached than she was with the kind that has a backspace key. She could not figure out how to upload an mp3 file to her blog, and so instead of figuring out how, she decided that the easiest way to get said piece onto said blog was to create a video, which she did know how to upload.

After some trial and error, she figured out how to use her video creating software, and the result you see before you. The pictures have no significance whatsoever; they are only there to make it possible for the music to be in a video. Some of them I took at Philmont Scout Ranch, some are memes from the internet, and one is an old biology assignment. 

Please enjoy the music. If you have any suggestions for me (I'm an amateur composer), please let me know. I'd love some feedback :)

(By the way, this is mine. Please don't be horrible and steal my work. If you do, I might send my attack rabbit--pictured in the video-- to come chew your couch).