"Resolutions"

Hey friends!

I was sitting in class this morning and thought, "I should write a blog post today," so here we are. January 8th, folks. How're the New Year's resolutions coming? Still going to the gym? My resolution last year was to drastically increase my intake of sushi (I'm not kidding, that was actually my 2012 resolution) and I succeeded! I don't really have one specific resolution this year, but I have a couple things that I'd like to work on.

The first thing is that I would like to get in that habit of composing every day. I've been feeling a bit musically uninspired in the past month, and it's easy to just say "oh, I've got writer's block blah blah blah," but writer's block is nothing more than a really bad excuse. 99% of the time, writing, composing etc does not come in flash of creative inspiration, but rather comes from just starting somewhere and practicing everyday, and working diligently on it. So I want to get in the habit of working on my music every single day, even if it's just getting one measure further on a piece, or just quickly jotting down a melody. Just something. 

My second "resolution" is to read more. I didn't read much last year. So I'm going to try to read 40 books/plays this year. Seems like a steep goal, cause it's almost one book/play a week, but I'll see how it goes. I'd also like to write more, so maybe I'll try to write a response here once I'm done each book?

The first book I'm reading is a book of interviews with one of my favourite composers, Stephen Sondheim. It's called Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions.

The next few books I'd like to read are:

1. Life of Pi (I read this a few years ago, but I'm reading it this term for a literature class, so I'm looking forward to rereading it.)
2. Pride and Prejudice (I've been enjoying the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube, which is a great vlog-style modern adaptation of the novel (excellently done), and I've seen a stage production of P&P but I've never actually finished the book. I've tried multiple times, but never really gotten into it, but I'm determined to finish it. Then maybe I'll read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? ;P)
3. Cloud Atlas (I just watched the film, and thought it was fascinating, and thought-provoking, so I'd love to read the original.) 

Any other book suggestions?

Oh! And I'm going to try to write a blog post once a week! I'm not naive enough to believe that I will be consistent, especially once the term workload gets heavy, but I'm really going to try.

Hope all is well with y'all! 

Dan