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.
Monday, July 27, 2009
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!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Two years away from being a Master...
My first year of Grad School is done! :) I can't believe I'm 2 years away from graduating with my Master's degree! I have 2 weeks off to relax and then school is back in session for the summer. I'll be taking a crazy economics class (yikes!).
I'm all finished playing gigs and have the entire month of June off :) I may be playing more with the Centre Symphony in the fall. Beethoven's 9th with the South Shore Symphony went really well and I'm hoping to get a DVD copy of it for my collection (I'm a serious dork). I start rehearsing for summer concerts in the park in July - these concerts are so fun and relaxed. They're a highlight of summertime for me.
This past Sunday after playing with the Nassau Pops for the St. John's University graduation ceremony, I filmed for a movie!!!!! It us untitled (for now) and comes out on Christmas Day 2009. It stars Merryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. The scene you can find me in is one in which Streep and Baldwin's son graduates from college - I'm in wind ensemble playing Pomp and Circumstance. It was super cool to be around the huge cameras and surrounded by crew members adjusting seemingly insignificant things over and over. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience.
This weekend I will depart on a Carnival cruise leaving from Tampa, FL and travelling to Belize, Isla Roatan (a small island off the coast of Honduras), and the Grand Cayman Islands. I have never looked forward to vacation this much in my life. After all of the studying, practicing, working, and stressing out, I feel like I've earned a little time off. New York City has been pretty chilly recently and I am looking forward to getting some sun!
I'm all finished playing gigs and have the entire month of June off :) I may be playing more with the Centre Symphony in the fall. Beethoven's 9th with the South Shore Symphony went really well and I'm hoping to get a DVD copy of it for my collection (I'm a serious dork). I start rehearsing for summer concerts in the park in July - these concerts are so fun and relaxed. They're a highlight of summertime for me.
This past Sunday after playing with the Nassau Pops for the St. John's University graduation ceremony, I filmed for a movie!!!!! It us untitled (for now) and comes out on Christmas Day 2009. It stars Merryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. The scene you can find me in is one in which Streep and Baldwin's son graduates from college - I'm in wind ensemble playing Pomp and Circumstance. It was super cool to be around the huge cameras and surrounded by crew members adjusting seemingly insignificant things over and over. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience.
This weekend I will depart on a Carnival cruise leaving from Tampa, FL and travelling to Belize, Isla Roatan (a small island off the coast of Honduras), and the Grand Cayman Islands. I have never looked forward to vacation this much in my life. After all of the studying, practicing, working, and stressing out, I feel like I've earned a little time off. New York City has been pretty chilly recently and I am looking forward to getting some sun!
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