Piano Lessons

I just finished my second piano lesson, and I think the lessons are interesting enough to write about. Thad Carhart (the author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank-- you know, that book I loved but couldn't get anyone to read) would be quite proud of me.
So every Thursday my French-Russian teacher, Dmitri shows up at the apartment. He puts his things down, and goes to the bathroom to wash his hands. He refuses to use the sink in the kitchen, because the soap isn't satisfactory. He's very pleased with himself because everyone in Paris seems to have a cold right now except for him. Anyway, he's somewhat tall and very slender, almost frail, with an aging person's buzz cut. He dresses extremely properly.
The lessons consist of a series of exercises that revolve around me getting better at playing "The Entertainer." (Ironically, the piece I had randomly decided to try and figure out on my own, The Entertainer, is the most famous Ragtime song and his area of expertise is Ragtime). He demands that I sit with a straight back and with relaxed shoulders. He doesn't allow me to bite my tongue or lips while I play and today, he insisted that I straighten out the stool on which I normally slouch. By the end of all the lessons my back and neck are tired, so you can imagine what my hands and fingers feel like.
Today we worked on a number of exercises that required me to push the keys using only my wrist, my entire arm or just my fingers. By the end my hand was literally shaking with fatigue. Dmitri charged ahead with the next exercise seemingly unaware of my state. He also seems to be unaware of the fact that it takes me on average 14-15 seconds to process that "Do" is "C." It then takes me another 4-5 seconds to realize that "C" is the on next to the black keys, in front of the three black keys on the left. I think he assumes that because I was able to figure out the beginning of The Entertainer, I read and understand music well. He's sadly mistaken. What actually took places was a long and tedious process of memorization that came as a result of having about 9 hours of free time a day. The saddest part about this, is those 9 hours have been seriously diminished recently so I'm not able to practice as much as I'd like.
Long story short, my lessons are pretty much nothing like they were at the Music Center when I was 11. They seem extremely "real" actually. I'm not sure, though, whether I'll learn any songs or anything, but I know that I'll be able to push them keys with style.
Anyway, tonight I think I'm continue with the whole music thing and head to a jazz show in the 18th. If it's interesting, I'll post about it.