An interesting evening
Watched/listened to part of the F1, almost in spite of myself (by all accounts, I should hate motor racing - by definition it is environmentally destructive and also overwhelming on a sensory level); was trying to work out which result I wanted, and ended up approving of the one that appeared to have occurred. Yet another wrinkle, over fuel irregularities, has meant it's not over yet, and this is beginning to make the West Ham affair look trivial and undamaging. (Although tell that to a Sheffield United fan. That decision + poor start to this season + the nature of the two-broadcaster deal = five seasons in the wilderness, very little of it their own doing.)

Then went along to the choral rehearsal. Two weeks ago, the piece that was intended for performance but never got performed was a choral arrangement of something from a Lloyd-Webber musical (You Must Love Me from Evita). As if trying to taunt the people who joined the group for its variety (a substantial number), the piece taught this week was another Lloyd-Webber number (Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom of the Opera); as if trying to taunt the people who joined because the group was small and thus unlikely to be unnervingly loud (that would be just me, then), the musical director placed a significant emphasis on dynamics about halfway through the teaching (though I had noticed the dynamic changes already, which was about the one thing I did right all rehearsal), which meant that by the time we got to the Eurovision Key Change (another feature of both pieces we've done) and the dynamic marking read 'ff', my ears started ringing a bit. At least I think they did; I certainly felt mildly uncomfortable, with my own attempts to sing loudly either acting as a distraction or an exacerbation. Or both.

(Jumping back three days on a not-unrelated note... karaoke choices for October 18:
1. Dido, Don't Leave Home
2. Sarah McLachlan, Angel
I presume the latter will meet with more approval in the comments box. Did enjoy singing the former... probably a tiny bit too low for me, but that in turn practically dictated the grunge approach of a quiet verse [because once transposed down an octave it goes low enough that I can only just sing it] and loud chorus [because that bit ends up in the strongest part of my range], which... worked well. Dido songs seem to practically leave a blank canvas for me to play with, and I enjoy playing with them...)

Moved on to a bar showing NFLball on Murdoch Sports Onc, predictably frequented by many of the university's gridiron team (alas, I'm no longer in a position to work as their statistician, for that would involve sacrificing both the choir and my Sunday radio slot, and I'm not prepared to let go of either). Had some good fun speaking to them, and a couple who didn't really know me were surprised at what I knew. I must admit, I don't know that much, but I understand enough to hold a conversation and give the impression of knowing more. The in-depth preparation I did for a pre-Super Bowl radio show stood me in good stead when talking about the Chicago Bears, though...

Annoyingly, I'm going to miss the vast majority of the Wembley game, for the choral rehearsal completely overlaps with it. It says a lot about the length of NFLball games that I will still be able to catch the beginning and end...

To leave, one final bit of good news. Could have put this earlier as it pertains to the choir, but I wanted to finish on it; I will be writing something which will be performed at the choral concert. Note I didn't say 'for the choir', for they are looking for solo and small-group numbers to pad out the programme without making everyone learn an interminable number of songs, and that is far more in my area of competence and thus something I will provide. Writing something with a proper SATB arrangement is an ambition for the spring concert.