Good lord. Why can I not decide for the life of me?

For instance, after much debate, I've decided to buy a MacBook Pro (other options were: just wait it out and keep surviving with my current PowerBook, get a small netbook to carry to lab, get a cheap PC and expect to just last until Fall 2011, get a new Mac, get a desktop, etc). Then there was the hard decision of a 13" vs a 15" Mac. Now that I've finally settled on a 15" Macbook Pro, NOW I am debating:

• whether to pay the extra $150 for a matte screen (the glossy screen looks like a mirror because it's so reflective, but the general consensus is that it's not so bad once you take it out of the insane spotlight at the Apple store and use it indoors only)
• whether to cough up extra $250 for Apple Care (everyone recommends it for the extra 2 years of warranty, but... I don't even plan on carrying this new MBP anywhere and it'll only be used for general browsing/MS-office/movie-watching/etc)
• pay $45 for iLife? or get a UVA friend to get me MS Office for $10? iLife seems really neat.

This is tough :P But I've also never spent $2000+ for anything before, so I might as well research everything before I splurge...

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I am learning Faure's Elegy on the cello now :) Apparently, this piece was premiered at Saint-Saens' personal home -- how cool is that! I love reading program notes, and here's a paragraph from one of them:

The simple grandeur of its ABA layout, in which Fauré allows the most telling melody to sing without complication, no doubt accounts for the Élégie's phenomenal appeal. Over steady, dirge-like chords, the cello dramatically embarks upon an expansive lament that quietens as it unfolds in tones of somber oration. Then, accompanied by the cello, the piano essays an effusive song – as of joy recalled in grief – taken up by the cello to culminate in a sudden vehement (and rather unconvincing) cadenza before the funereal opening returns, shadowed by the central section's plaint, to sing itself into nothingness.

While it's just a 7 minute piece, and by no means a timeless "masterpiece" (at least I don't think so), there's such incredible intensity and climactic moments fitted between moments of bittersweet lyricism and somewhat of a contained grief -- it's really beautifully composed :)

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To put me in a really tragic mood, my beginning on this Elegy happened simultaneously with my start on Bach Cello Suite No. 2. I think the Second Suite is the most depressing and introverted of the 6 suites. I think Yo-Yo Ma played the somber Sarabande at his father's funeral. That's how sad these are!

One can imagine [the Second Cello Suite] to express a person's self-examination of life from the view of opportunities lost, close relationships abandoned or not made, and longings not fulfilled. This isn't cheerful stuff to reflect on, and any great performance has to dig down into the depths of the soul and bring up those hard to face emotions; I also think that the listener has to do so also in order to get the full impact of the music.

 A review on Maisky's recording of the 2nd suite Prelude:

Mischa Maisky - "Mournful and sad" well describes Maisky's performance; in fact, if a listener tends to shed a few tears hearing this prelude, Maisky's version should have the person crying buckets. And his conclusion is power-packed.

Hahaha, I don't know about "crying buckets" but I do think his interpretation is power-packed. I'm growing really fond of Mischa Maisky! Haha, some say he has a Jesus-look, probably because of his hair. He is a godly player though, and he comes second only to Jacqueline du Pre (you knew that was coming).

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Funny (or sad; depending on how you look at it) research to conclude this post:

According to our data, the average American experiences a 0.8-second window of happiness upon awakening, before remembering that they're conscious beings in a relentlessly bleak and numbing world," said Dr. Derek Moore, lead author of the paper. "Other periods of happiness include 1.9 seconds after a good meal; 0.6 seconds upon receiving a paycheck; 1.1 seconds following competition of a scientific study; and the 2.5 seconds approaching orgasm, just before the guilt sets in.