Obert

The word of this post is "Crisis".
I don't have any pictures of Obert!
Well, I have this one-

in December 2010, telling the world that, according to common-law,
we are married...if he was a man

and this one-

from the 2012 Christmas Concert.

 and these ones-

from the first performance of Kohola when I played with the
Percussion Ensemble...and that hump-backed whale recording.

this is all of us playing at the
9th Hawaii International Humanities and Arts Convention
January 2011

this one too-

Bashana Haba'ah, Winter 2011 concert?

does this count? He is in the bag.

very first college concert

So I do have pictures of Obert, but not very many considering Obert's presence in my life.

Obert is my Oboe.  My friend Phillip named him when we were in High School.  I've played the oboe, this specific oboe, for almost 8.5 years.  My parents, by some miracle, bought it from the school district (who had forgotten I'd been borrowing it for 7 years) for me for Christmas.  It was basically the best Christmas present ever.  Not only can I play the Oboe, I have one.
Obert brought me to school.  That was always the plan: Go to college on a Music Scholarship.

I'm not fantastic, but I've always fit the bill.  I'm good enough.
This summer I'm finally able to take private oboe lessons.  I haven't taken lessons since I was 16.  This was nerve wracking. I could should be so much better than I am.  But Dr/Mr/Brother?....professional man...B. Greene seems happy with where I am, willing to help me, he is positive...I like him.

Obert broke.  I broke him.  It was foolish, and petty, and careless and should not have happened.....
I will spare you the details-
I saw the solution, but I don't have the qualifications or the skills or the tools to do such a thing.  That doesn't mean I didn't try.  Alas- it was beyond me.  Every time I think about it I felt as if I would hurl, like I'd betrayed a beloved friend, like my heart sunk into my stomach.  I have been capable of fixing every problem on my instrument for about 3 years, so Obert has not seen the inside of a shop for quite some time.

Until today.
Mr Greene (in the Conservatory, with the knife....a reed making knife)--haha--gave me the name of his oboe-repair person.  In Honolulu. 
While I'm not comfortable driving people in stick, I am much less comfortable driving alone.  Driving alone in a distressed state is unwise.  I was alone at work for 20 min and when Matthew came in he scolded me because I looked depressed.

So, I must to go to Honolulu.  I need food.  I don't want to go alone.

Seth, at one point, said he needed to go to Costco.

There is a Costco in Honolulu! Seth has a Costco card.  He needs food.  I need food.  I also need company. Perfect.

I told him that I was going to town and 'I would be willing to take him to Costco if he needed'-
<skipping a long, convoluted set of mindsets and circumstances that even I don't understand,  are you going anyway? i'll just tag along? wait, now I'm driving? who all is coming? which car? how are you not awake? when exactly are we leaving?>
Seth. Me. Matthew driving.  My Chris's car.  Ridiculous.

I walked into Global Music Supply, in Honolulu.
Matthew asks a million questions about....well, everything.
Seth finds the smallest violin and stands in awe.
I stand at the counter of judgement as Mr Meyers appraises my oboe. Sweaty, self-conscious, nervous, stressed, sleep-deprived, afraid I've ruined it. 
"It's doable."
Best. news. ever.

I am friends with good people.

have a picture

Since we're in Honolulu, lets go to the Costco in Mililani.
<oh goodness>
And pick up a suit in Wahiawa
And coast down a beautiful hill. 
And listen to the Prince of Egypt Soundtrack because it's awesome.

These guys have never heard me play- ever.  Okay, maybe the Devotional clip, but they didn't know me then. They've never gone to a performance.  They know it's important to me, but I don't think they know how much. 
This feels so petty, but... this is something that I have always been able to do.  
It is so simple, yet it makes some people so happy. 

Well, I understand more about how to drive stick now. I've never watched someone drive stick before.  Matthew was very nice about answering any and all questions that I threw at him.
I also have food.
As silly as it is, I am so glad I did not have to walk into the music store alone.

I will go back and retrieve Obert on Thursday....maybe sooner.  I will be confident in my ability to drive stick, now that I understand more about how it works.  I even know where it is now. <crossing fingers>  Everything will be fine.  It will work again. Obert will be back.  I can keep my scholarships.  I'll get better.  I'll be more careful.  They will still want me to go to New Zealand next summer. Obert is not the only reason I'm here in Hawaii- it's just the most tangible.  There is a plan, this won't throw it off track.