Scientific Method

Waking up on time is one of my greatest weaknesses.  I know I've already talked about it, but I think it needs to be addressed again with the great frequency with which it occurs.   It's really just an ongoing experiment, if you will, and so, I will describe it through the scientific method to further clarify (and also to prove to my parents that their tax dollars did teach me something).

Problem:  Nikki LaBonte sleeps as heavily as one of those slumbering giants of ancient Aztec legend.

Hypothesis:  If alarm clocks annoy her enough, then maybe she will decide it's more convenient to start moving than to deal with the hassle.

Dependent Variable:  Tardiness to school.

Independent Variable:  Number of decibels created by combined volume of all alarm clocks used.

Materials:

• 2 alarm clocks with 2 available alarm times each
• One iPod app that monitors your sleep cycle based on movements during the night.
• A basic need to get up.
• A mom to rely on, in case of emergencies.

Procedure:   

1. Strategically position the alarms around the room to achieve the most annoying and difficult to disassemble set-up as possible. 
2. Go to sleep.  
3. Pray that it works.

Results: Inconclusive.

And everyone at NYO knows about this experiment too.  In fact, whenever you arrive late to something, specifically a bus call, they sometimes call it "pulling a Nikki".  No joking, I had to take a cab to a side-by-side rehearsal we did with a Russian youth orchestra because I missed the bus.  And strangely enough, that was not the first time I'd woken up after the lobby call for NYO.

Today though, I finally managed to roll myself out of bed in time to go shopping at the local souvenir market in Russia.  This was really a whole other experiment in itself.  

I've decided that bartering is the only kind of shopping that men generally like.  In order to be successful at bartering, you have to genuinely not want to be spending money.  Because this is how men generally function at malls, department stores, and anywhere else--except for places that sell food: that's like my mom in a Yankee Candle store.   And so, before I went, I Skyped my dad to find out the secrets.  He basically told me to act like he does when we take him shopping: Be extremely bored, question why anything is so expensive, and ask if there are any real practical uses for a Russian Babushka doll.  My favorite answer to the last question was "how about we cut the price down 100 rubles?"

And when I went out this morning, it was actually a lot of fun.  It's not often that Publix employees let you haggle over the price of a banana or Macy's cashiers will take half of what is on the price tag because it's "all I have left."  

Overall, I had a good time which is, really, all that matters.  Because as much as I felt like I was besting the vendors, I was still probably ripped off to the same degree as if I'd clicked on one of those "FREE IPAD" links on Facebook.  But I realized that even though the prices I bartered for were about as accurate as London's baby lottery is, I still consider the process of negotiating a successful experiment.

Tomorrow, NYO has our own final experiment: our last concert at the BBC Proms.  After playing with the 119 other musicians for about three weeks, I know that I can trust them.  I know that because we have rehearsed and performed and felt each other's energy that no matter what, tomorrow's concert will be successful.  It's similar to bartering in that, maybe some notes will be missed, some deals will be lost, some negotiations won't be as smooth as they could be.  But if we accomplish our potential, not as individual players, but as a functioning body, we will be able to walk away with a smile on our faces and shopping bags full of the gifts that we've earned:  a hand-painted lacquered box filled with memories and friendships, a shot glass filled with the liquid energy of the music we have as young people, and a Babushka doll filled with all sizes of inspiration, from large to small.

So, if you get a minute, tune in tomorrow to our concert.  It'll be broadcasted live from the Proms tomorrow.  Just click on this link:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3 and click the "Listen Live" button on the left hand side of the screen.  It starts at 7:30pm London time which is 2:30 Eastern Standard Time.  

2:30PM that is.  I don't think that any amount of experimentation would be able to get me ready to play a concert at 2:30am.  I think that over the years of testing, I've proved that situation to be scientifically impossible.