Oops.

So, hey loyal readers...probably all two of you out there, at this point :) I made a very stupid first-time blogger mistake - not updating content frequently! As you might have noticed in my first post, I was planning on updating 3-4x per week. Alas, a community crisis warranted my attention much more than this new project: Flood 2008.

My first observation about this event that I would like to note: everyone was affected, but each in his/her own way. I didn't lose any personal belongings, and besides having a week off from work and class (but no lost pay, might I add), there were no particular schedule changes for me. My parents couldn't go on their regular walks on the foot bridges around the Iowa River (haha, what a surprise), and taking in certain theatre shows was impossible. As a family, the Drakes prepared for a loss of utilities at home, but none of our regular services were interrupted. So you might ask, what's the big deal for Meredith? Why not just a minor inconvenience? On a personal level, it was the devastation of the UI Arts Campus. Until this event, I hadn't realized how important those institutions are to my identity. I am not pursuing musical activities as voraciously as I did when I was in high school, but I still can't imagine a day without music in some form. Thinking of all those weekly lessons in Beth's studio, those music camp rehearsals and hanging out, those awful but very necessary practice room sessions...and that's just Voxman. I think the number of concerts that I've attended in Clapp is probably in the triple digits, and Hancher - where does one even begin when talking about Hancher? I

I take a great deal of comfort in the fact that Iowa City is a community that values the arts. Arts students and faculty/staff will not simply be let go. And although I sadly haven't played much in the last day or two, I'm definitely getting into a better practice routine with systematic scale and interval studies, etudes, and a variety of repertoire. My favorites are still Bach, Brahms, and Hindemith.

Also - check me out on Twitter! I'm rapidly developing skills with microblogging as well. I think I will enjoy the service much better after I get a new cell phone service contract that includes unlimited text messaging.