First Time's a Charm?

First impressions....yeurgh.

Like anyone who doesn't live entirely in the World of Warcraft, I have had my share of them and I've noticed a trend: very rarely is there a middle ground on first impressions.  They are either very good or very bad, a heads or tails kind of thing.  There have been many times in my life where I feel like the quarter I am flipping is one of those plastic tacky magicians quarter's you find in a Happy Meal: both sides are tails and you can't even pull off the magic trick that can save you.  However, there have also been times where first impressions are a breeze: people tend to like you more if your parents pay them to act friendly.  

Given my invaluable and highly varied experience, I've discovered that there are a few keys to making a good first impression.  First, avoid any personal information on the first sentence.  If you're a vampire, try to save that at least until the second interaction.  Your desire to drink the blood of other people will be a great conversation starter after you've discussed the weather patterns of the week.   Second, brush your teeth.  Especially after eating foods like mushrooms, onions, or garlic.  The only exception to this rule is the scenario mentioned previously.  When you find out your friend is a direct relative to Edward Cullen, garlic breath is less of a setback.  

Thirdly and most importantly, dress appropriately.  I know that many people have pet peeves of pens clicking or cracking your knuckles or other sounds that can be overreacted to, but mine is by far when people don't follow the rules of getting dressed.  If music wasn't possible, I'm hoping to be nominated as the next squad leader for the fashion police.

I think the reason that it may be so infuriating to me is because it's not that hard.  I'm not asking for a 1000 word essay on Louis Vuitton or for you to design your own wedding dress line or even for you to be a finalist on America's Next Top Model.  I'm just asking for you to make sure that you don't wear two types of plaid in the some outfit.  The goal is just to not stick out.  You really don't want to be that guy wearing the hideous Christmas sweater to your important meeting.  That only counts as business casual if you are actually Santa Claus.

And not to worry, we NYO members have got this aspect in the bag.  If there's one thing musicians know how to do other than seal ourselves off from society for hours to practice, it's looking good (oh yeah).  We aren't quite to the Baywatch level yet but we are definitely keeping up in the dressing department--even when we aren't in our concert uniforms.

But for some reason, this all still feels a little out of place to me.  Attending a State Department Briefing at the Department of the Interior, for instance.  It seems just a tad odd to be hearing about being a cultural ambassador and talking to members of the Russian Youth Orchestra about America.  I mean, I don't think I'll be able to ask for directions to the nearest restroom, let alone be able to tell them what is culturally significant about my country.  Having our concert reviewed by the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/13/arts/music/national-youth-orchestra-takes-purchase-washington-is-next.html)?  Are you kidding?  I can barely get people to come to my concerts, let alone give me their feedback on something other than the fact that us "kids are just so darn adorable in our penguin suits and dresses".  And being invited to the Russian Embassy for a reception from the ambassador himself?  I don't think I've ever been personally invited to a dinner party before, and now I'm eating at the same buffet table with Russian dignitaries?  It's total luck that I managed to avoid embarrassing myself through a clumsy episode involving tripping, food, His Excellency, a great deal of napkins and a lot of diplomatic apologizing.  

Being under the baton (it's more the size of a toothpick really) of Valery Gergiev, getting to play at the Kennedy Center, performing with Joshua Bell.  I keep wondering if maybe they've got the wrong person.  Somehow, they meant to send the letter to a street in Pennsylvania or South Dakota or something.  Any day now, someone will pull me aside and tell me "Hey, we are real sorry but it turns out that we messed up and picked the wrong person.  The other girl is on her way here now so if you could just pretend you were never in NYO, that'd be great.  Sorry, it's not you, it's us.  Well actually, it's you."  It's cool, I would totally understand. 

But for some unknown reason, they picked me.  They picked all of us.  And I don't really know if anyone can really deserve this opportunity.  We've all worked so hard in a practice room, out of a practice room, in the concert hall, but this is just so much more than I could have ever dreamed of.  

But, when life gives you lemons (even if it stole them from some little girl's stand down the street) you make lemonade.  And since NYO hasnt caught on to their mistake yet, I will definitely be taking advantage of it.  There may be one problem though: my parents haven't exactly been able to bribe the Russian Youth Orchestra members into liking me and I don't think I can rely on my humor to get me through.  (I'm currently working on ways to be funny using only traditional Russian greetings.)

Worst case scenario, I suppose I could tell them that I'm a vampire. 

Scratch that.  On second thought, I'd probably be better off if I wore two types of plaid.