It's autumn. The leaves are changing and so am I.

Due to some scheduling conflicts, I haven't been playing much this season. My first performance of the season is on Sunday, October 24 at the Tilles Center. It's a benefit concert for the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County. I'll be playing some fun tunes with the Nassau Pops - http://www.npso.org/schedule.cfm.

The research assistantship that I'd started working on this fall has been canceled. My professor had forgotten to write unpaid interns into her grant. During a site visit from the foundation that is funding her research, she was told she had to give us up. At first, I was pretty bummed out but since my classes are so time consuming this semester, maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

I kicked off the fall with a case of pneumonia! Eek - It's been rough the past few weeks but in 3 weeks, I should be back to 100%.

Since I wasn't having more fun as a blond, I decided to go back to my roots as a brunette again. (Pneumonia, a lack of orchestra gigs, and a canceled assistantship - it was time for a change). I'm really happy with my new 'do! AND my luck has certainly improved.

This past weekend I joined a bunch of my girlfriends for "pumpkin picking" (at the farmer's market in Union Square). We took our goods, went to one of the girl's apartments and carved our pumpkins. It was an autumn extravaganza! We made caramel apples, ate some pumpkin soup and pumpkin cheesecake, toasted our pumpkin seeds, and had some quality girl time.