Owen was under James' bed. He had brought three stuffed animals with him and was hoping that his parents would either forget about naptime or forget to look for him.
It had been a boring morning. His family had gone out on a long bike ride first thing, but then he had to do schoolwork on the front step while Felix rode his tricycle, and he would have much rather kept riding his bike. His father was trying to teach him about reading time from an analog clock, but there were at least three different types of ants on the stairs and two types of spiders, and Owen didn't much feel like paying attention to Math. He told his father that he didn't want to do math several times, but Father didn't always do the best job listening.
Somehow they managed to get through Spelling, Reading, and Writing as well--Owen still didn't really know how to tell what hour it was on an analog clock, but he didn't think he'd ever need to know, since the clock in his room was digital--and school was finally over. But even when school had ended he didn't get to have much fun. James was still stuck doing his school on the step, and Mother and Felix were doing laps around the block with Felix on his tricycle while Mother read her cookbook. Felix was slower than slow. He wasn't even riding his tricycle, just pushing it. Every four sidewalk squares he would have to pull his trike out of the grass and start over.
Owen changed to his scooter to keep things interesting, but when he tried to do zig-zags on the scooter he tipped over on the pavement. This was no fun at all. He had wrestled James (who didn't want to wrestle) and then wrestled Felix (who cried when Owen pinned him) once they were all back inside, and then at lunch he had to eat chewy salad that was hard to swallow. So once lunch was over and he was finally free "hide-out" seemed like the best option.
Owen was very good at "hide-out." Felix was a better "hide-out" partner than James, because he took up less space and was better at staying still and quiet. Sometimes Owen and Felix could hide for a very long time before one of their parents found them. They hid in the downstairs closet on the piles of flute choir music that their mother kept in there, and they hid under Owen's bed which was uncomfortable because you had to lie on all of the LEGOs that were under there. Last week they hid in the van for so long that Mother and Father started going out to ring the neighbor's doorbells. They hid in James' closet, which smelled like the dresses Mommy had hanging up in there and was pitch dark except for the little line of light that came in from under the door, and now Owen was hiding underneath James' bed. The space underneath James' bed, like the rest of James' room, was perfectly clean.
James and Owen used to share a room, and then James' bed was just as messy as Owen's. (This was because Owen would climb into James' bed and play in it.) Now that James had his own room he made everyone stay out and kept it organized just so.
James came in the room after Owen had been hiding for a few minutes and poked his head under to look at him.
"Are you going to stay there for all of nap?"
"Is it nap time?"
"Almost."
James had an analog clock in his room. Owen could tell that it was late enough after lunch that it should be naptime soon, but he couldn't remember which hand did what on the analog clock face. The big hand was pointing at (and a little past) the 12, which might mean that it was 12:00. Or it might mean that it was something-else o'clock. The ticking from the clock was making Owen drowsy--the only other sound in the room was James turning the pages in his book.
Maybe his parents wouldn't put him down for a nap today. Everyone once in a while they surprised the kids and skipped naptime to do something like a trip in the car or even to watch a movie. But Owen didn't even want to do those things today. He just wanted to be in charge of his own day and not have someone telling him what to do and when. He wouldn't even mind falling asleep under James' bed--he was sucking his fingers, and it was making him very drowsy--as long as no one knew he was here.
On the other hand, he wanted to make sure that no one forgot about him either. It would make him feel terrible if Mother and Father remembered to put James and Felix down for naps and just forgot that they had a third child. Plus, his father would probably get down on his hands and knees and yank him out from under the bed with a big noise and a giant whoop. Most of the time his father sat around being boring and not doing anything exciting, but every once in a while he would do something that reminded Owen of just how big and strong he was. He had even seen him reach up and touch the ceiling on his tiptoes once. If Owen could touch the ceiling by standing on his tiptoes he would do it all the time.
He heard footsteps on the creaky staircase, and then the familiar noises of Felix having his diaper changed and put into his crib from the next room. His father's voice called out, "Owen, are you hiding somewhere?" The footsteps came out into the hall again, and Owen burrowed deeper under the bed.
"James, have you seen Owen?"
"No."
Owen's heart leapt. James was playing with his game! He was helping him to avoid being caught and put down for nap! Maybe his father would never find him
"Well, let me know if he turns up somewhere up here. I'm going to go look downstairs."
He heard the footsteps go down the hall, and then down the stairs. Was he really going to escape nap?
He heard another noise--James had hopped out of bed and was going down the stairs as well. Both sets of footsteps stopped, and then he heard them coming back up into the hall. James was snickering. This wasn't good. Owen trembled as he saw his father's carpet slippers stop in front of the bed, and then a crouching hand braced on the ground.
"Naptime, Owen."
"JAMES, YOU TOLD HIM WHERE I WAS, YOU BOOGER! I'M NEVER GOING TO LIKE YOU AGAIN!"
Owen resisted as he was dragged out from under the bed, but it was much nicer to be put to bed kicking and screaming than to go peaceably. It made him feel like he'd earned his rest.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Owen's Perfect Memorial Day
Owen had wanted to ride his bike on a bike-run forever.
Bike-runs were when his father and mother exercised together and the children had to come along. Owen faintly remembered a time when he and James would ride in the double stroller together--they often would run up to the bakery, before his mother decided that Too Much Sugar was a Bad Idea--but then their baby brother was born, and James would ride his green bike and Owen was stuck riding in the stroller next to Felix.
Owen liked Felix well enough, but he hated feeling like James was a big kid and he was a baby. At the dinner table James would eat neatly without spilling any of his food, and Owen and Felix would both need wipe-offs because of the food they'd spilled all over the table and down their shirts. Owen could eat more neatly if he went slower, but then he didn't get to have as many second helpings as James, and that was even worse than getting a wipe-off with the baby.
Riding in the stroller while James got to ride his bike on a bike-run was the worst. But now that Owen could ride his bike without training wheels he was ready to ride next to James.
Mother sprayed all of the children with sunblock while Father buckled Felix into the jogging stroller with his Curious George. Felix was such a baby. Owen snapped his own helmet on and scooted his yellow bike up behind James' green bike, heart thumping with excitement. Both parents had already stressed to him that this wasn't going to be a race and that James was going to be "in the lead" the whole time, but Owen didn't care about racing today. This was going to be a rite of passage.
There could hardly have been a more beautiful day for his first bike-run. The sun was shining but not blazing hot yet, and the sidewalks were carpeted with magnolia blossoms. Owen got started from each stop sign without tipping over once and his parents shouted encouragement (increasingly winded as they tried to keep up with James and Owen) to him over and over again. Owen knew that this was because it was his first big road ride, but he didn't care. Hearing his parents call out what a great job he was doing loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear was better than Christmas morning. And they didn't even say a single thing to James to make sure it was fair.
They biked all the way down Shelford Road to Merchants Road, and then turned up Winton Road and started biking back towards home. Owen had sweated through his shirt and his legs were aching. When they got to the big hill on Spencer Road where his parents always slowed down to a walk and James hopped off of his bike to push it up. Owen didn't want to push his bike up the hill. He wanted to keep on riding.
He pedaled harder and felt his legs burn. Sweat was dripping into his eyes, but he kept on pushing up the hill. He wasn't listening to his parents anymore, but he could tell from their voices that they weren't giving polite praise anymore, but were genuinely amazed that he was making his way up the hill. He was halfway there, and the bike kept zig-zagging as he tried to gain upward ground. He heard thumping behind him as he started to reach the top crest, and saw his mother out of the corner of his eye, shouting encouragement and cheering him on. There were just ten more sidewalk squares to go, then seven, then five, then three...
Mother and Father both clapped and cheered for him as Owen hopped off his bike and danced at the top of the Spencer Road hill. He had done it! He looked at James, still pushing his bike halfway up the hill, and even James looked happy for him. He'd secretly hoped James would be jealous and sad, but he decided that he was happy that James was proud of him too.
Owen wasn't ready to be done biking yet, so the family "cooled off" by taking all of their bikes (Mother and Father's too, with Felix riding in the baby seat on the back of Father's bike) over to the school parking lot and doing endless circles around the edge. Owen mostly went in the clockwise direction that everyone else did, but sometimes broke off to ride over the storm drains and listen to the clanking sound that they made as his tires hit them.
When they got home and Owen parked his bike in the garage they discovered that their three-doors down neighbor had left a sprinkler on in his front yard, and Owen and Felix took turns pushing each other through the spray on Felix' tricycle. Owen didn't even care that he was playing with a baby toy, because the sprinkler water felt wonderful after his hot bike ride and the whole neighborhood had seen him riding his bike just like James.
All of his clothes and his shoes were soaked through by the time Owen came in for lunch. He changed, and then ate an enormous lunch without smearing any avocado on his dry shirt, and then when it was time for nap he and James were the only ones that didn't fall asleep. Even Mother and Father fell asleep, judging by the funny lines on their faces.
Supper was hamburgers with ketchup and mustard and homemade french fries, and a dish of ice cream for dessert, and then a hike in the woods on a trail that none of them had ever explored except Father. They didn't see any snakes--Owen sometimes pretended he saw a snake even when he didn't, so that he could keep up with the number of snakes James found in the woods--but they did see two deer standing in a clearing and looking at them, plus a dead mole and four wooden bridges and a parked dump truck by the landfill entrance. When Felix was too tired to walk anymore Father carried him on his shoulders and Owen held his mother's hand. He was tired too and part of him wanted to suck his fingers, but that was a baby thing to do and today was a today was a day of being a big kid. Plus, his fingers were very dirty and wouldn't have tasted any good.
But the best surprise of all was as they were driving home and his parents kept driving straight on Culver Parkway instead of turning on to Helendale Road to drive home. The only place they ever drove to on Culver Parkway was the local ice cream stand, and that was exactly where they pulled in. James pointed out that they had already had ice cream that night, so they weren't going to get ice cream again, were they?
Father put on his mask and went out to stand in line, and Mother told the boys the story of how she and Father had been waiting all summer for the ice cream stand to put out their favorite type of ice cream, and that tonight was the first night that it was out, so that even though they had already had ice cream once they were going to get TWO ice creams tonight as a special treat. Owen's family hadn't had a special food treat from a restaurant or a bakery or ice cream stand for all of quarantine (except for the pizza that James earned by reading 25 chapter books), and tonight was a Very Special Night.
Owen's whole body was sore as he watched the sun setting on the gas station across the street. His parents were going to get coffee ice cream--coffee ice cream, in Owen's opinion, wasn't worth waiting all summer to go out for--and each of the boys would get a soft serve twist. He almost fell asleep waiting for his father to come back, and then a real fire truck pulled into the gas station and filled up its tank. This was the best day ever.
Bike-runs were when his father and mother exercised together and the children had to come along. Owen faintly remembered a time when he and James would ride in the double stroller together--they often would run up to the bakery, before his mother decided that Too Much Sugar was a Bad Idea--but then their baby brother was born, and James would ride his green bike and Owen was stuck riding in the stroller next to Felix.
Owen liked Felix well enough, but he hated feeling like James was a big kid and he was a baby. At the dinner table James would eat neatly without spilling any of his food, and Owen and Felix would both need wipe-offs because of the food they'd spilled all over the table and down their shirts. Owen could eat more neatly if he went slower, but then he didn't get to have as many second helpings as James, and that was even worse than getting a wipe-off with the baby.
Riding in the stroller while James got to ride his bike on a bike-run was the worst. But now that Owen could ride his bike without training wheels he was ready to ride next to James.
Mother sprayed all of the children with sunblock while Father buckled Felix into the jogging stroller with his Curious George. Felix was such a baby. Owen snapped his own helmet on and scooted his yellow bike up behind James' green bike, heart thumping with excitement. Both parents had already stressed to him that this wasn't going to be a race and that James was going to be "in the lead" the whole time, but Owen didn't care about racing today. This was going to be a rite of passage.
There could hardly have been a more beautiful day for his first bike-run. The sun was shining but not blazing hot yet, and the sidewalks were carpeted with magnolia blossoms. Owen got started from each stop sign without tipping over once and his parents shouted encouragement (increasingly winded as they tried to keep up with James and Owen) to him over and over again. Owen knew that this was because it was his first big road ride, but he didn't care. Hearing his parents call out what a great job he was doing loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear was better than Christmas morning. And they didn't even say a single thing to James to make sure it was fair.
They biked all the way down Shelford Road to Merchants Road, and then turned up Winton Road and started biking back towards home. Owen had sweated through his shirt and his legs were aching. When they got to the big hill on Spencer Road where his parents always slowed down to a walk and James hopped off of his bike to push it up. Owen didn't want to push his bike up the hill. He wanted to keep on riding.
He pedaled harder and felt his legs burn. Sweat was dripping into his eyes, but he kept on pushing up the hill. He wasn't listening to his parents anymore, but he could tell from their voices that they weren't giving polite praise anymore, but were genuinely amazed that he was making his way up the hill. He was halfway there, and the bike kept zig-zagging as he tried to gain upward ground. He heard thumping behind him as he started to reach the top crest, and saw his mother out of the corner of his eye, shouting encouragement and cheering him on. There were just ten more sidewalk squares to go, then seven, then five, then three...
Mother and Father both clapped and cheered for him as Owen hopped off his bike and danced at the top of the Spencer Road hill. He had done it! He looked at James, still pushing his bike halfway up the hill, and even James looked happy for him. He'd secretly hoped James would be jealous and sad, but he decided that he was happy that James was proud of him too.
Owen wasn't ready to be done biking yet, so the family "cooled off" by taking all of their bikes (Mother and Father's too, with Felix riding in the baby seat on the back of Father's bike) over to the school parking lot and doing endless circles around the edge. Owen mostly went in the clockwise direction that everyone else did, but sometimes broke off to ride over the storm drains and listen to the clanking sound that they made as his tires hit them.
When they got home and Owen parked his bike in the garage they discovered that their three-doors down neighbor had left a sprinkler on in his front yard, and Owen and Felix took turns pushing each other through the spray on Felix' tricycle. Owen didn't even care that he was playing with a baby toy, because the sprinkler water felt wonderful after his hot bike ride and the whole neighborhood had seen him riding his bike just like James.
All of his clothes and his shoes were soaked through by the time Owen came in for lunch. He changed, and then ate an enormous lunch without smearing any avocado on his dry shirt, and then when it was time for nap he and James were the only ones that didn't fall asleep. Even Mother and Father fell asleep, judging by the funny lines on their faces.
Supper was hamburgers with ketchup and mustard and homemade french fries, and a dish of ice cream for dessert, and then a hike in the woods on a trail that none of them had ever explored except Father. They didn't see any snakes--Owen sometimes pretended he saw a snake even when he didn't, so that he could keep up with the number of snakes James found in the woods--but they did see two deer standing in a clearing and looking at them, plus a dead mole and four wooden bridges and a parked dump truck by the landfill entrance. When Felix was too tired to walk anymore Father carried him on his shoulders and Owen held his mother's hand. He was tired too and part of him wanted to suck his fingers, but that was a baby thing to do and today was a today was a day of being a big kid. Plus, his fingers were very dirty and wouldn't have tasted any good.
But the best surprise of all was as they were driving home and his parents kept driving straight on Culver Parkway instead of turning on to Helendale Road to drive home. The only place they ever drove to on Culver Parkway was the local ice cream stand, and that was exactly where they pulled in. James pointed out that they had already had ice cream that night, so they weren't going to get ice cream again, were they?
Father put on his mask and went out to stand in line, and Mother told the boys the story of how she and Father had been waiting all summer for the ice cream stand to put out their favorite type of ice cream, and that tonight was the first night that it was out, so that even though they had already had ice cream once they were going to get TWO ice creams tonight as a special treat. Owen's family hadn't had a special food treat from a restaurant or a bakery or ice cream stand for all of quarantine (except for the pizza that James earned by reading 25 chapter books), and tonight was a Very Special Night.
Owen's whole body was sore as he watched the sun setting on the gas station across the street. His parents were going to get coffee ice cream--coffee ice cream, in Owen's opinion, wasn't worth waiting all summer to go out for--and each of the boys would get a soft serve twist. He almost fell asleep waiting for his father to come back, and then a real fire truck pulled into the gas station and filled up its tank. This was the best day ever.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Owen Rides a Bike
Owen had a bright yellow bike. It had been a present for his 5th birthday in October, but he still needed the training wheels. This was a problem. For one thing, it meant that he wasn't as fast as his older brother James, who rode a green bike without training wheels. For another, Owen regularly rode his bike (with training wheels) so hard that he would wiggle one of the nuts loose and the training wheel would fall off. Then he would have to walk his bike home until his Father could get tools out of the basement to fix it. This took a long time.
Owen decided it was time to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.
The first time he decided to ride without training wheels was in March. His family was at the school playground across the street, and Owen's father took the training wheels off and walked the bike over to the gentle hill that sloped down towards the playground.
"Is this how James learned?" asked Owen.
"Yes, and let me explain how you'll practice keeping your balance," began his father.
Owen didn't listen. He was too busy thinking about the amazing tricks that he would do once he could ride his bike without training wheels.
Father helped Owen up onto his bike and started to ease him down the hill. Owen wobbled, tipped, and crashed onto the sidewalk. He screamed as loud as he could. Then he noticed that his elbow was bloody and he screamed even louder.
Owen decided that he would wait until he was six to ride without training wheels. Then he remembered about James and asked how old James had been when he learned.
Mother and Father told him it didn't matter.
James told him he was five when he learned how to ride without training wheels.
Owen decided to try again.
His father brought him up to the top of the slope again, and Owen asked if his father could hold the bike the whole way down. His father said he couldn't. Owen hopped off the bike as soon it started moving and fell with a splat in the grass. He could wait until he was six.
A few months later Owen decided to try again. His father went to the basement for tools and took the training wheels off. Then they practiced pedaling on the sidewalk--not the hill--with Father's hand on Owen's back. Owen wobbled and crashed to the left. His knee was scraped up. They tried again. Owen wobbled and crashed to the right. Now his elbow was scraped up. Owen decided to give up again, but his Father said they had to keep on trying. Owen pedaled and tried to keep his wheel pointed straight. All of a sudden, he was pedaling on his own!
He pedaled all the way to the house three doors down and then crashed onto the pavement in a heap. He was so excited that he ran to his Father and told him the secret he'd figured out.
"Dad, Dad! I just have to aim my wheel straight and that helps me ride my bike!"
"Exactly, Owen! Were you listening? Because I told you several times that keeping your wheel pointed straight would be the most important--"
Owen stopped listening because he wanted to ride his bike again. He crashed a lot more (he had scrapes on both knees and both elbows before long) but as long as his father helped him get started he could ride all the way from the street corner to three houses down, and then back again.
But there was a problem. Owen's father was really slow. He would get Owen started and Owen would race down--sometimes with a crash halfway--to the end of his little course. But Owen's father would walk so slowly--impossibly slowly--and so Owen would have to wait practically forever to ride his bike again.
Owen's father told him that the next important thing would be to learn how to get started on his own.
"No thanks," said Owen "you can just help me get started."
Eventually they went inside to get baths and to put stingy cream on all of Owen's scrapes. But Owen was ready to ride his bike again first thing the next morning.
Owen's father hadn't finished his morning coffee. He came out to the front step with a book and his coffee cup.
"Come on, Dad! Help me get started."
"I'll help you in a bit, Owen. I'm going to finish my coffee first."
Owen decided to wait until his father was done with his coffee. It took forever. Owen wondered if he was taking sips of his coffee and then spitting them back into his cup so that it stayed full. Sometimes Owen did that at the dinner table. He decided he couldn't wait any longer. His father told him that he would need to wait anyway, unless he wanted to practice getting started on his own.
"And if you can teach yourself to get started you won't need to wait around for me at the ends--you can bike as much as you want."
Owen saw the wisdom of this but was also pretty scared of starting his bike on his own. He pushed it down to the sidewalk and tried. He crashed sideways onto the driveway and the bike landed on him. He screamed and cried. He came right up to his father and screamed right in his ear so that he could hear him.
He tried again and cried even harder. His father still wouldn't get up and help. He sat there drinking his coffee as slow as a sloth, being unhelpful.
Owen told his father that he was never going to write another letter to him ever again. When that didn't get him up he told him that he was going to have a pet tiger when he got bigger and that the pet tiger was going to eat him for being so mean. Both his elbows were bleeding again and he was crying and his face was dirty.
"Try again. See if you can figure it out."
Owen tried again. And it worked. He crashed a few more times, but he could get started on his own each time in ten minutes. He spent the rest of the day trying to learn how to do a wheelie and talking to people who were out walking their dogs. One man had a particularly bouncy dog who kept trying to get away. He asked Owen if he wanted to keep the dog. Owen said that he did, but his father said "no," and that the man was only joking. Owen spent the rest of the day biking up to people with dogs and and telling them about how mean his father was because he wouldn't let him have a dog.
Owen decided it was time to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.
The first time he decided to ride without training wheels was in March. His family was at the school playground across the street, and Owen's father took the training wheels off and walked the bike over to the gentle hill that sloped down towards the playground.
"Is this how James learned?" asked Owen.
"Yes, and let me explain how you'll practice keeping your balance," began his father.
Owen didn't listen. He was too busy thinking about the amazing tricks that he would do once he could ride his bike without training wheels.
Father helped Owen up onto his bike and started to ease him down the hill. Owen wobbled, tipped, and crashed onto the sidewalk. He screamed as loud as he could. Then he noticed that his elbow was bloody and he screamed even louder.
Owen decided that he would wait until he was six to ride without training wheels. Then he remembered about James and asked how old James had been when he learned.
Mother and Father told him it didn't matter.
James told him he was five when he learned how to ride without training wheels.
Owen decided to try again.
His father brought him up to the top of the slope again, and Owen asked if his father could hold the bike the whole way down. His father said he couldn't. Owen hopped off the bike as soon it started moving and fell with a splat in the grass. He could wait until he was six.
A few months later Owen decided to try again. His father went to the basement for tools and took the training wheels off. Then they practiced pedaling on the sidewalk--not the hill--with Father's hand on Owen's back. Owen wobbled and crashed to the left. His knee was scraped up. They tried again. Owen wobbled and crashed to the right. Now his elbow was scraped up. Owen decided to give up again, but his Father said they had to keep on trying. Owen pedaled and tried to keep his wheel pointed straight. All of a sudden, he was pedaling on his own!
He pedaled all the way to the house three doors down and then crashed onto the pavement in a heap. He was so excited that he ran to his Father and told him the secret he'd figured out.
"Dad, Dad! I just have to aim my wheel straight and that helps me ride my bike!"
"Exactly, Owen! Were you listening? Because I told you several times that keeping your wheel pointed straight would be the most important--"
Owen stopped listening because he wanted to ride his bike again. He crashed a lot more (he had scrapes on both knees and both elbows before long) but as long as his father helped him get started he could ride all the way from the street corner to three houses down, and then back again.
But there was a problem. Owen's father was really slow. He would get Owen started and Owen would race down--sometimes with a crash halfway--to the end of his little course. But Owen's father would walk so slowly--impossibly slowly--and so Owen would have to wait practically forever to ride his bike again.
Owen's father told him that the next important thing would be to learn how to get started on his own.
"No thanks," said Owen "you can just help me get started."
Eventually they went inside to get baths and to put stingy cream on all of Owen's scrapes. But Owen was ready to ride his bike again first thing the next morning.
Owen's father hadn't finished his morning coffee. He came out to the front step with a book and his coffee cup.
"Come on, Dad! Help me get started."
"I'll help you in a bit, Owen. I'm going to finish my coffee first."
Owen decided to wait until his father was done with his coffee. It took forever. Owen wondered if he was taking sips of his coffee and then spitting them back into his cup so that it stayed full. Sometimes Owen did that at the dinner table. He decided he couldn't wait any longer. His father told him that he would need to wait anyway, unless he wanted to practice getting started on his own.
"And if you can teach yourself to get started you won't need to wait around for me at the ends--you can bike as much as you want."
Owen saw the wisdom of this but was also pretty scared of starting his bike on his own. He pushed it down to the sidewalk and tried. He crashed sideways onto the driveway and the bike landed on him. He screamed and cried. He came right up to his father and screamed right in his ear so that he could hear him.
He tried again and cried even harder. His father still wouldn't get up and help. He sat there drinking his coffee as slow as a sloth, being unhelpful.
Owen told his father that he was never going to write another letter to him ever again. When that didn't get him up he told him that he was going to have a pet tiger when he got bigger and that the pet tiger was going to eat him for being so mean. Both his elbows were bleeding again and he was crying and his face was dirty.
"Try again. See if you can figure it out."
Owen tried again. And it worked. He crashed a few more times, but he could get started on his own each time in ten minutes. He spent the rest of the day trying to learn how to do a wheelie and talking to people who were out walking their dogs. One man had a particularly bouncy dog who kept trying to get away. He asked Owen if he wanted to keep the dog. Owen said that he did, but his father said "no," and that the man was only joking. Owen spent the rest of the day biking up to people with dogs and and telling them about how mean his father was because he wouldn't let him have a dog.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
The Movie Music Project
I have trouble doing things halfway.
Once I get started on a project I want to keep slamming through it until I'm at the end, even if I have to stay up until 2 in the morning or skip breakfast. The movie music project has been that for me through quarantine, and now it's just about over.
If you aren't on Facebook, J and I have been posting a performance every week of the two of us performing some of our favorite movie music. But Facebook videos aren't the point--the idea was, and is, to do a recital of all movie music (all flute/trumpet features) at one or both of our churches. We've talked about this for years. I've had a note in my phone since 2015 with a repertoire list. (The core rep of the recital was always going to be Princess Leia's Theme, Wall Rat, J.F.K., and the Lincoln soundtrack.)
But nothing ever happened because we didn't have the time to put it together. To write the arrangements would take a massive listening effort, plus tracking down scores and then figuring out how to use Finale. (We've owned a copy of Finale since 2012, but only used it in a very limited way.)
And then quarantine happened, and it was as good a time as any to finally sit down and try to work out the arrangements. The first one was Princess Leia's theme. It was incredibly frustrating. It took me the better part of a week, and I found a score to work with relatively early on in the process. I had to learn how to make tuplets, how to generate multimeasure rests, where all of the expressive markings were, and countless other notation shortcuts.
But it kept on getting easier. And then it got easier faster and faster. And before I knew it, I was writing multiple arrangements a day. The original goal was to have 10 charts, because that would be enough to justify a full recital. We passed 10 in the third week of quarantine, and by then I had figured out that this project was going to keep me sane.
I neglected my blog, hogged the computer, and probably got too little sleep. But Phase 1 of reopening starts tomorrow and I had something to do that got me through it. As of right now, this is our rep list.
Aunt Marge's Waltz (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
The Big Race (Cars)--this one was for the boys
Binary Sunset (A New Hope)
Boo's Going Home (Monsters, Inc)
Main Title from Born on the Fourth of July
A Bridge to the Past (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Burning Homestead (A New Hope)
Cadillac of the Skies (Empire of the Sun)
Closing In, Reflections, and Joy Ride (Catch Me If You Can)
Cinque's Theme (Amistad)
Concerning Hobbits (The Fellowship of the Ring)
En Bateau (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
The Face of Pan (Hook)
Family Portrait (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Suite from Far and Away
Flight to Freedom (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Gabriel's Oboe (The Mission)
The Grail (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Great Pumpkin Waltz (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown)
Hagrid's Friendly Bird (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Han Solo and the Princess (Empire Strikes Back)
The History Lesson (Jurassic Park)
The Hologram (A New Hope)
Theme from Il Postino
The Incredits (The Incredibles)
Prologue (J.F.K.)
Life's Incredible Again (The Incredibles)
The Long Road to Justice (Amistad)
Love Theme (Chinatown)
Luke and Leia (Return of the Jedi)
Maid Marian at the Waterfall/Maid Marian (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves)
Main Title (Apollo 13)
Married Life (Up!)
Minas Tirith (Return of the King)
Main Theme (Monsters, Inc)
Main Theme (The Natural)
Parade of the Ewoks (Return of the Jedi)
Main Theme (The Patriot)
Princess Leia's Theme (A New Hope)
The Prologue--Arrival of Baby Harry (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Riding the Hippogriff (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Main Theme (Rudy)
Skateboard Chase (Back to the Future)
Soul Bossa Nova (Austin Powers)
Thinking of Marion (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
A Tree for My Bed (Jurassic Park)
Wall Rat (Ratatouille)
With Malice Towards None (Lincoln)
Yoda Raises the Ship (Empire Strikes Back)
Yoda's Theme (Empire Strikes Back)
Whenever it is that we are finally allowed to play in public again we'll be putting together a recital--if you are reading this you are probably a family member, so let me know what you would want to hear if you're coming! And if we missed some obvious movie cue that has a prominent flute or trumpet solo, let me know. Although I don't think I'm going to do any more--it feels nice to be done.
But, then again, I said that two weeks ago. It can be hard to stop once you get going.
Once I get started on a project I want to keep slamming through it until I'm at the end, even if I have to stay up until 2 in the morning or skip breakfast. The movie music project has been that for me through quarantine, and now it's just about over.
If you aren't on Facebook, J and I have been posting a performance every week of the two of us performing some of our favorite movie music. But Facebook videos aren't the point--the idea was, and is, to do a recital of all movie music (all flute/trumpet features) at one or both of our churches. We've talked about this for years. I've had a note in my phone since 2015 with a repertoire list. (The core rep of the recital was always going to be Princess Leia's Theme, Wall Rat, J.F.K., and the Lincoln soundtrack.)
But nothing ever happened because we didn't have the time to put it together. To write the arrangements would take a massive listening effort, plus tracking down scores and then figuring out how to use Finale. (We've owned a copy of Finale since 2012, but only used it in a very limited way.)
And then quarantine happened, and it was as good a time as any to finally sit down and try to work out the arrangements. The first one was Princess Leia's theme. It was incredibly frustrating. It took me the better part of a week, and I found a score to work with relatively early on in the process. I had to learn how to make tuplets, how to generate multimeasure rests, where all of the expressive markings were, and countless other notation shortcuts.
But it kept on getting easier. And then it got easier faster and faster. And before I knew it, I was writing multiple arrangements a day. The original goal was to have 10 charts, because that would be enough to justify a full recital. We passed 10 in the third week of quarantine, and by then I had figured out that this project was going to keep me sane.
I neglected my blog, hogged the computer, and probably got too little sleep. But Phase 1 of reopening starts tomorrow and I had something to do that got me through it. As of right now, this is our rep list.
Aunt Marge's Waltz (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
The Big Race (Cars)--this one was for the boys
Binary Sunset (A New Hope)
Boo's Going Home (Monsters, Inc)
Main Title from Born on the Fourth of July
A Bridge to the Past (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Burning Homestead (A New Hope)
Cadillac of the Skies (Empire of the Sun)
Closing In, Reflections, and Joy Ride (Catch Me If You Can)
Cinque's Theme (Amistad)
Concerning Hobbits (The Fellowship of the Ring)
En Bateau (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
The Face of Pan (Hook)
Family Portrait (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Suite from Far and Away
Flight to Freedom (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Gabriel's Oboe (The Mission)
The Grail (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Great Pumpkin Waltz (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown)
Hagrid's Friendly Bird (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Han Solo and the Princess (Empire Strikes Back)
The History Lesson (Jurassic Park)
The Hologram (A New Hope)
Theme from Il Postino
The Incredits (The Incredibles)
Prologue (J.F.K.)
Life's Incredible Again (The Incredibles)
The Long Road to Justice (Amistad)
Love Theme (Chinatown)
Luke and Leia (Return of the Jedi)
Maid Marian at the Waterfall/Maid Marian (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves)
Main Title (Apollo 13)
Married Life (Up!)
Minas Tirith (Return of the King)
Main Theme (Monsters, Inc)
Main Theme (The Natural)
Parade of the Ewoks (Return of the Jedi)
Main Theme (The Patriot)
Princess Leia's Theme (A New Hope)
The Prologue--Arrival of Baby Harry (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Riding the Hippogriff (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Main Theme (Rudy)
Skateboard Chase (Back to the Future)
Soul Bossa Nova (Austin Powers)
Thinking of Marion (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
A Tree for My Bed (Jurassic Park)
Wall Rat (Ratatouille)
With Malice Towards None (Lincoln)
Yoda Raises the Ship (Empire Strikes Back)
Yoda's Theme (Empire Strikes Back)
Whenever it is that we are finally allowed to play in public again we'll be putting together a recital--if you are reading this you are probably a family member, so let me know what you would want to hear if you're coming! And if we missed some obvious movie cue that has a prominent flute or trumpet solo, let me know. Although I don't think I'm going to do any more--it feels nice to be done.
But, then again, I said that two weeks ago. It can be hard to stop once you get going.
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