Something Just For Me

The last week before the Eid break, I went and did something just for me.  It was something I really, really wanted to do, but I bet it's going to sound dorky to all you people out there.  It almost feels like a confession to admit, but I'm really excited about it, so at the risk of redorkulating myself, here we go:

I joined the Dhahran Madrigal Singers.  !

(I say redorkulating because I suppose that I used to be a dork in high school, but I somehow managed to morph that into something less alienating as I grew into adulthood.  Alienation, mockery, and poor self-esteem, here we come!  Oh well, I really wanted to do this and I guess I don't care what you people think.  Maybe that means that I won't redorkulate after all.  It was always all the cool people who set the trends, right?)

For those of you who don't already know (that's probably about 98% of you), I used to do this in high school.  And I am pretty sure that none of my high school friends (one?  JARJ, are you reading this?) ever read this blog unless they are related to me (there were five of us cousins who all went to school together), so first a little background from high school:

I went to a small, private day school called Webb School of Knoxville.  Google it if you want, or go here ; it looks all fancy on the website, very utopian, a school that you might one day hope that you could afford for your children.  Academically, yes, it was great.  I came away totally prepared for college, and also with 38 hours of college course credit under my belt.  Not to mention that I got a full ride academic scholarship to Vanderbilt including money for summer study abroad in the country of my choice, additional scholarships for room and board, and a National Merit Scholarship.   It was a good school academically, with a good reputation that the college admissions offices paid attention to, and it had many really good teachers.  But socially?  Believe me, that web site is a fair facade.  Socially, it was a cruel, relentless, horrible pit of hell.  Even though I was so successful there, I hated it.  I still want to spit on the ground every time I hear the name of the school, and I would not send my worst enemy's children there for all the money in the world.  And while many of my classmates would not agree with my assessment, many would. 

The only thing that I did the entire seven years I was there that I look back on fondly (really fondly, too!) was Chamber Singers.  Chamber Singers was THE very exclusive try-out choir.  Webb Chamber Singers was always REALLY good, winning both local and out of state competitions.  They had, and presumably still have, a long and glorious tradition of excellence.  I wanted to be in it so badly that I was willing to plow through all the social risk involved with trying out, and I made it.  And one of the best things that the Chamber Singers did was the Madrigal Dinner, and we also got to sing in costume on the steps of the Tennessee Theatre for the school Christmas Concert. 

Here is a picture of the Webb Madrigal Singers, taken from their utopian landing page.  Yes, if anything on that webpage is true, it really was as fun as these kids make it look:
 

By the way, that costume with the faux fur on the right is the same one somebody used in our day.  Most of the girls have their dresses made and then keep them, but the boys all give them back to the pool and the next boy uses it the next year.  

 

I don't have any pictures of when I did it, because all my pictures are in our rental house in Tennessee.  (We only came here with the possessions that we could easily replace or walk away from in case we have to leave in a hurry due to some sort of threat or attack.)

I designed my dress myself after a lot of research into medieval and renaissance clothing.  It is red with yellow and green tapestry trim.  My mom has already stuffed it into a box and it is somewhere over the ocean at this point (thanks Mom!). I've got a Renaissance-looking gold and pearl pendant and earrings and little blue slippers, too, not to mention my matching circlet for my hair.  All that this is really about is getting to dress up like a princess and sing 500 year old songs acapella - it's so fun! 

So here we are, 18 years later (JEEZ) and I am at it again.  (And also, Ha HA!  I am 18 years older and have had three kids and I can STILL FIT IN THAT DRESS!  YEAH!)  I am one of the youngest of the Dhahran Madrigal Singers, which is nice.  I discovered the group late, and so I only have three weeks to learn all the music, but that's ok because at least half of it is exactly the same as when we did it before.  The only difference is that now I'm an alto, because that's what they needed here.  So I'm having to relearn all the notes, but the words are the same! 

I'm really enjoying it, too, because I get TWO WHOLE HOURS A WEEK outside of the house without the children.  It's something just for me!  It's fabulous!  I really enjoy the (4 minute) drive to the rehearsal and back, and it's wonderful to be doing something with other adults.

So have I redorkulated?  Be honest!  Maybe I'll hold that question until after the performance, and once you've all seen the pictures, then you all can be the judge. 

P.S. RMCW, if you are by some slim chance reading this,  I now know all your parts for Wassail, Come Bring, Sing We and Chant It, Fair Phyllis, and Boars Head!