I have so much free time lately, I don't know what to do with myself! I've been enjoying going to happy hours, exploring rooftop bars, going to outdoor movies and concerts, eating my meals outdoors, taking walks along the East River, and just enjoying Manhattan in the summer. I love the city in the summer; it really empties out as New Yorkers migrate to the Hamptons, Fire Island, the Jersey Shore, or summer houses.
2 out of 4 ain't bad -- Out of the 4 concerts in the second summer series of the Nassau Pops, we were only able to play 2 due to the rainy weather on Long Island. Our last concert went well despite the fact that it was extremely humid, there were small microphone mishaps, and the oboe player's last minute replacement was awful (and I mean really awful - she was late for the performance, never in tune, missed many of her entrances, and when she showed up in the middle of our third piece, took her seat during a movement of selection from Carmen with the conductor and entire orchestra glaring at her for her inappropriate behavior...I have a feeling she won't be asked to play for the group again). Nonetheless, it was enjoyable and I was happy to be able to play fun repertoire. We recently had our annual orchestra party to end the summer season.
This past weekend, Nicole, my college roommate, came for a visit to NYC. It was wonderful! Friday night we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, and, after a pitcher of sangria, hit the bars in my neighborhood. We sang along to an awesome cover band, watched the end of the 15 inning Yankees game, and met boys that made us thank our lucky stars that we had boyfriends. Saturday we had delicious brunch at Trata and noticed an unusually frequent amount of ambulances passing the outdoor cafe we were seated at. The helicopter/plane crash over the Hudson was so shocking and tragic - we didn't find out about it until hours after our brunch as we were exploring a street fair in Union Square. After spending hours shopping, trying on clothes and make-up, we headed back to my apartment empty handed and hungry. We rested a bit, got dolled up and went out for a romantic dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant with garden seating. It was delicious. Later went to a dive bar called it an early night. Sunday, after some New York bagels, we went for a walk along the East River, and then headed to Penn Station. With the Dominican Pride Parade causing an obscene amount of traffic, our trip was a bit stressful but I was so happy to spend a weekend with my best friend that I didn't care.
Nicole is someone who knows me for who I am and always has some words of wisdom to help guide me along as I figure out my goals in life. Whether it be to offer up some juicy gossip, advice about decisions I'm making, or just to reminisce about all that we have been through, she is always there for me. I value our friendship and I know how lucky I am to have such an honest, dependable, awesome person in my life. I am excited to visit her in Philly soon so that she can show off the beautiful house she recently bought.
My work load at Juilliard is fairly light in the summer with Fridays off from work. This upcoming weekend is our last "Summer Friday" and I will be enjoying it in Atlantic City with Eric where we'll be celebrating our 1 year anniversary.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Summer days drifting away...
Now that my intense economics class is over, I finally have my life back. The class ate a way a good portion of my summer. It was horrible - exorbitant amounts of reading, tricky multiple choice exams, weekly group problem sets... Needless to say, it's over and I came out alive and with an A. Now I have 6 weeks free of classes and schoolwork to enjoy the remainder of my summer :)
I have been playing with the Nassau Pops for some summer concerts which are relaxing, fun, and full of great show tunes. This season includes talented guest singers and a set of pieces featuring our concert mistress as a soloist. Playing outdoors is a summer staple for me - I have been doing this for 8 years now (I can't even believe it!) - we always get a good crowd and have a great time.
Recently I traveled to Interlochen Michigan with my boss for my first ever College Fair! It was so exciting! We spent two days in Traverse City enjoying all of the beauty the small town on Lake Michigan has to offer - cozy restaurants with home cooking featuring local cuisine (lots of seafood - yum!), cute shops, gorgeous views of the lake from our hotel, and a sun that didn't set until 10:30 pm! The fair was successful - we met wonderful prospective students and had a lovely time. The plane on the way there was fairly small - only 12 people, one of which was a cello. On the way back we had a bigger plane and were able to upgrade to nicer seats since we were so frugal during our trip. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful boss who has allowed me to have such great opportunities at Juilliard and who I look up to.
Michele, my college roommate, came for a visit to New York this past weekend and it was such a treat! We had a quick picnic dinner before one of my summer concerts on Friday night. Then we headed to my apartment where we ran into Blake Lively (of Gossip Girl fame) surrounded by a crowd of tweens snapping photos. We spent Saturday going to a fancy brunch, walking along the Hudson at Carl Schurz Park, getting our nails done, having some great food and sangria at one of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan, and hitting the bars for a taste of nightlife on the upper east side. Whenever we see each other it always feels like no time has passed even if it has been weeks or even months. We talked about how life seems to pass us by more and more quickly as we get older. It takes a lot of effort to keep in touch and stay connected but it is so worth it. It's rare to find friends that know you for who you are and love you anyway. I'm very lucky.
Summer has really flown by so far but I plan on enjoying every last second of freedom until work picks up and school is in full force in the fall.
I have been playing with the Nassau Pops for some summer concerts which are relaxing, fun, and full of great show tunes. This season includes talented guest singers and a set of pieces featuring our concert mistress as a soloist. Playing outdoors is a summer staple for me - I have been doing this for 8 years now (I can't even believe it!) - we always get a good crowd and have a great time.
Recently I traveled to Interlochen Michigan with my boss for my first ever College Fair! It was so exciting! We spent two days in Traverse City enjoying all of the beauty the small town on Lake Michigan has to offer - cozy restaurants with home cooking featuring local cuisine (lots of seafood - yum!), cute shops, gorgeous views of the lake from our hotel, and a sun that didn't set until 10:30 pm! The fair was successful - we met wonderful prospective students and had a lovely time. The plane on the way there was fairly small - only 12 people, one of which was a cello. On the way back we had a bigger plane and were able to upgrade to nicer seats since we were so frugal during our trip. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful boss who has allowed me to have such great opportunities at Juilliard and who I look up to.
Michele, my college roommate, came for a visit to New York this past weekend and it was such a treat! We had a quick picnic dinner before one of my summer concerts on Friday night. Then we headed to my apartment where we ran into Blake Lively (of Gossip Girl fame) surrounded by a crowd of tweens snapping photos. We spent Saturday going to a fancy brunch, walking along the Hudson at Carl Schurz Park, getting our nails done, having some great food and sangria at one of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan, and hitting the bars for a taste of nightlife on the upper east side. Whenever we see each other it always feels like no time has passed even if it has been weeks or even months. We talked about how life seems to pass us by more and more quickly as we get older. It takes a lot of effort to keep in touch and stay connected but it is so worth it. It's rare to find friends that know you for who you are and love you anyway. I'm very lucky.
Summer has really flown by so far but I plan on enjoying every last second of freedom until work picks up and school is in full force in the fall.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Spring melts into Summer
Vacation was a blast! Spending time with my best girlfriends, getting tan, eating great food, and having no schoolwork or real world responsibilities was such a treat. The Carnival Cruise was amazing although the cruise ship itself had a strange theme...Legends. It sounds harmless enough but somehow everything turned out to be a bit phallic - with one-eyed snakes hanging from the walls and ceiling of the night club (Medusa's Lair) and large naked pictures of men and women in the elevators (in honor of Greek mythology). Needless to say we got some great laughs and had many cocktails. (Pictures are all up on facebook for anyone who has not yet seen). We did some incredible snorkeling in Belize, got a death defying tour of Isla Roatan in Honduras, and spent a day on the beautiful 7 mile beach at the Grand Cayman Islands. The food was amazing, the weather was fabulous, and we met interesting, fun people. It was another whirlwind vacation that was so much fun and ended too soon.
After coming back from the cruise, my schedule has been a bit crazy! I began my seven week intensive summer class 2 weeks ago. I'm taking an advanced economics course with a lab. We meet 2 nights a week - one night for 2 hours, one night for 4 hours. The homework is overwhelming and the TA is useless. Luckily there is a lot of group work and I am in a super productive group. Hopefully I'll come out of the class alive and with an A. In 5 weeks it will all be over and I'll have my summer (and my life) back.
I am taking a break from playing for the month of June but will resume rehearsing with the Nassau Pops in July. I have 4 outdoor summer concerts in the park coming up. These concerts are always fun and relaxing. They're free so we usually get a great crowd. It just doesn't feel like summer until I'm outside playing show tunes to people in lawn chairs :) These concerts will take place July 24th, and 31st, August 2nd, and 5th.
In other news, Eric and I celebrated 1 year of dating back in April and we recently relived our first date by going back to the restaurant where he took me on our first date. It was really lovely. I am lucky to have such a great guy in my life. I still can't believe that a full year has gone by since we began dating (even though our official one year anniversary isn't until August 18th). Time has simply flown.
The weather in NYC has been pretty cool, dismal and gray with tons of rain so it still feels like spring is in full force even though summer is right around the corner. Hopefully the sun will come out so my tan doesn't fade!
After coming back from the cruise, my schedule has been a bit crazy! I began my seven week intensive summer class 2 weeks ago. I'm taking an advanced economics course with a lab. We meet 2 nights a week - one night for 2 hours, one night for 4 hours. The homework is overwhelming and the TA is useless. Luckily there is a lot of group work and I am in a super productive group. Hopefully I'll come out of the class alive and with an A. In 5 weeks it will all be over and I'll have my summer (and my life) back.
I am taking a break from playing for the month of June but will resume rehearsing with the Nassau Pops in July. I have 4 outdoor summer concerts in the park coming up. These concerts are always fun and relaxing. They're free so we usually get a great crowd. It just doesn't feel like summer until I'm outside playing show tunes to people in lawn chairs :) These concerts will take place July 24th, and 31st, August 2nd, and 5th.
In other news, Eric and I celebrated 1 year of dating back in April and we recently relived our first date by going back to the restaurant where he took me on our first date. It was really lovely. I am lucky to have such a great guy in my life. I still can't believe that a full year has gone by since we began dating (even though our official one year anniversary isn't until August 18th). Time has simply flown.
The weather in NYC has been pretty cool, dismal and gray with tons of rain so it still feels like spring is in full force even though summer is right around the corner. Hopefully the sun will come out so my tan doesn't fade!
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