for those of you who are not able to concentrate on practicing and need a distraction to bore you back into practice, here's more of the fairy tale of despereaux:
"what is it?" said despereaux. "thread, said the threadmaster. he shrugged and took another loud bite of celery (does nils do this?). "nothing more. nothing less. but, i pretend, friend. i pretend. and what, may i ask, do you intend to do with the thread?"
"save the princess."
"ah, yes, the princess. the beautiful princess. that's how this whole story started, isn't it?"
"i have to save her. there is no one but me to do it."
"it seems to be that way with most things. no one to do the really disagreeable jobs except oneself. and how, exactly, will you use a spool of thread to save a princess?"
"a rat has taken her and hidden her in the dungeon, so i have to go back to the dungeon, and it is full of twists and turns and hidden chambers."
"like a maze," said the threadmaster.
"yes, like a maze. and i have to find my way back to her, wherever she is hidden, and then i have to lead her back out again, and the only way to do that is with the thread...."
Topic: continuing saga of despereaux tilling