Learning the Hard Way

I learned two things the hard way last night:

1. The Sheldonian Theatre is an awful music venue. There’s not a comfortable seat in the house for less then 20 pounds.

2. I really, really don’t like Mahler. Before last night, I didn’t know that composer from what. But a friend was in the orchestra performing Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, so I wanted to go to the performance.

Friend or not, between the seat and the symphony, it was torture. I slipped out of there between movements. It sounded to me like overwrought, overly sentimental movie soundtrack music. And I later found out I’m not alone. From wikipedia:

…little common ground can be found between those who revere Mahler for his 'emotional frankness' and 'spiritual honesty', and his equally vociferous detractors for whom the same music displays 'mawkishness', 'tastelessness' and 'sentimentality' (Franz Schmidt clearly spoke for the latter camp when he described Mahler's symphonies as "cheap novels").

Guess what camp I’m now in?

The walk home was quite enjoyable though. A homeless guy who does chalk painting was with his dog by his work on the sidewalk on Cornmarket Street. I really liked it, so I told him so and put a pound in his box.

Then a little later as I walked past Christ Church, this girl yelled out of a long white limo at me, “Heyyy, Sexxyyy!” Yes, she indeed was yelling at me; there was no one else around.

And, yes, she seemed quite inebriated.

But I do admire her taste more than Mahler’s.