I want my MTV in a very passive and non-committal sense.

I did not watch the MTV Video Music Awards tonight (or last night, as the case may be). I attended the first rehearsal of the season for the classical orchestra I have been playing with since 1994. We sampled a bit of a Haydn Symphony and a Bizet Symphony, and it appears that the Corelli Christmas Concerto is on the agenda, as well. My eyes were throbbing for some reason, so my sight-reading skills were a bit diminished. But, all in all, it was enjoyable to play and to receive phone calls from friends at the break and to even get a lovely call from my dad, letting me know there's some insurance paperwork for me at my parents' house. How sweet my father sounds on the phone. And how especially wonderful that he has a cell phone of his own and uses it to call me regularly -- most likely because he never bothers to memorize my number. Hearing his message just made me want to go out and buy some of that Japanese thick-sliced bread he likes so well. In the end, there was much music and much conversation and the occasional use of slang. I don't think the VMAs were missed at all. At least not by me. Did anything interesting happen? I suppose Beulah will tell me if anything did. I surmise it was probably, end to end, an Aaliyah tribute night. I don't hope to die any time soon, but when I do, I hope it's a massive tragic event and that people around the world are compelled to pound their breasts and tear their clothing in defiance of the loss of me. But then I always wished I was taller, too.