Berlioz Makes the Medicine Go Down

12 October, 2008

It never ceases to amaze me how music can brighten the most unpleasant situation.
Yesterday was shaping up to be one of those "NO Good, Rotten, Terrible, Horrible, Really Bad Days" (Remember that book?)
I got my ballot all filled out, as well as a couple of letters, so I decided to go to the Post Office to send them on their merry way. I figured, hey, I need some stamps and a guarantee for the ballot. No big deal! My friend Katrina came with me (we had just come back from dropping off our laundry) But little did we know, that Russian Post Offices are NOT like any form of post office I have ever experienced. We stood in line for 3 hours. Yes, three. The lady in front of me had close to 1000 letters to send, and all of them needed to be registered mail. I kid you not. And the girl behind the counter was ridiculously surly and unpleasant. I was about ready to strangle someone. I am allergic to Russian Post Offices.
After that, we found a pizza joint (fabulous!) and some ice cream, but I still was not feeling very charitable.

I remained in a foul mood until last night, when I went to the symphony again with Ludmilla Sergeevna. The concert was Mozart (with solo violin and viola, and orchestra), Bartok (for solo piano and orchestra) and Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique." (Which was coincidentally the result of an opium overdose, and is now my new favorite piece of music- ever)
And as the beautiful music filled the hall, my woes and tiredness suddenly didn't matter any more.

“Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I, even I, will sing to the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel." Judges 5:3

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. Ecclesiastes 2:8