excitedBeen contemplating starting lessons again for a while. When I was virtually housebound with depression the year before last I did try quite hard to pick it up again, but it was too difficult for me. Not only was I 6 years out of practice, but between me moving house so many times and my parents moving out of my childhood home, I'd lost all my music. I bought new copies of some of it, but without a teacher to help me figure out the fingering it was too daunting a task. I couldn't possibly afford lessons then, so I just left it, regretfully.
My dad's been talking about giving me money towards lessons - what he actually wants is for me to go back to college and finish my PhD, but I've tried to explain that I don't want to do it without going into too many details about my health. I managed to get him to agree to me having French conversation lessons (which I've wanted for years - I'm sick of knowing a language that I can't speak because I'm so traumatised from having everyone laugh at my accent) and I'm really hoping I'll be able to convince him to pay for the cello. If not, I'll just have to find the money myself.
It's strange that virtually no one who knows me now knows me as a cello player, yet it was one of the hobbies I spent most time on when I was a teenager. I always enjoyed it - practising was fun (unlike the piano) and it was amazing to be able to make music. Most of all I've missed playing an instrument with other people. Having a teacher again is a first step towards that - eventually I'd like to be part of a string orchestra again.
The really cool part? My new cello teacher is my old cello teacher. I managed to find her number by going through the (residential) Phone Book looking for people with her surname in her town. After the first couple of calls I got a sudden hunch that her husband was called Andy - and the first A. [Surname] I called was her! She was very pleased to be back in contact with me and we arranged a lesson for next Thursday.
I am very nervous, but she knows I haven't played properly in 8 years and is just pleased that I'm picking it up again. I will have to speak to my downstairs neighbour to let her know that I'll be practising and there will be lots of dying cat noises until I find my timbre. Mostly I'm excited - so happy I could cry.
"Effervescent" should be a mood option.
