In a word: it hurts. I pulled out the viola after a two-week hiatus and it really sucked! The calluses went soft, I couldn’t shift accurately, my sound was like cotton stuffed up a skeleton’s ass – it wasn’t pretty. I spent 45 painful minutes working through a couple major and minor scales and one etude (Rodé Caprice No. 2). I know it will get better, but it serves me right for not keeping the fingers limber.
On another note – Heather did her half marathon today! In celebration I rode my bike downtown to meet her at the finish. I told her that when she does the full marathon (Oct 7) I will ride downtown and back (it’s 9 miles each way, with the trip downtown almost all downhill, and the converse on the way back). It’s the least I could do. Next summer, I’ll do a century and she can carry my carcass home in the car afterwards.