Life, as I know it...this week! ;)

Cincinnati: madness certainly ensued! haha! Actually, it was really quite boring there (bitterly cold outside and not much for amusement around where we were), but we made the most of it and had a million laughs. The choir's performance was superb, my hotel room with Katie, Tifffany, and Haley was the best, we ate some pretty fabulous food, and we watched a lot of Olympic curling. Our favorite was Rock-Bottom Brewery. Mmm! I actually managed to crush my water glass into a hundred pieces while we were waiting for food. How I did it, I don't really know. One minute the glass was in my hand; the next, shattered across the table. Such a klutz! haha! There were fifteen or so of us at the table, and Haley, who was sitting at the other end, said that by the time the story got to their end of the table, I had crushed it in my bare hands. haha! The running joke was that, when the story got across the restaurant, I had just looked at it with my Harry Potter power. Oh, geez! ;)

Wandering around trying to occupy ourselves and pass the time till it was time to leave, we were lounging in the hotel lobby. Believe it or not, there was a Sam Adams conference going on in the hotel! haha! I was so close to just crashing it. How funny of a story would that have been?! Fantastic! But, I chickened out. Lame, I know!

Overall, it wasn't a terrible time...just not the most eventful after the concert. I was certainly not amused by the fact that we had 6am wake-up calls. Ew! In my mind, the time before 7:30/8am is merely an illusion...it doesn't really exist. If the sun isn't up, clearly, I should not be up. Just saying. ;)

Snow strikes Ohio once again. And there is quite a bit of it! Beautiful! :) Bryan, Katie, and I made it safely up north, and now, we are enjoying a little freedom. Back to my apartment on Monday for me, and off to New York for Bryan and Katie for her audition at Manhattan School of Music. My Katiekins is all grown up! hehe! ;)

As for me, my latest scheme is the Mozarteum in Salzburg!! :) Craig Courtney (our choir's accompanist) brought it up in conversation the other day...he taught there for six years. All I'm saying is: Austria. Salzburg. Singing. Mozart. Barbara Bonney. And me. Sounds pretty fabulous to me! We'll see...worth a shot, right? ;)


Gratitude 186
Last night, after a great dinner at an Italian place where the McGookeys knew literally everyone, we took a walk to the park through the winter wonderland. It was so pretty! Freezing, but lovely with everything sweetly frosted in a thick white fluff. Besides our own noisiness, it was quiet and peaceful with no one else to be seen around anywhere. :) And Katie and I only giggled for twenty minutes or so when we finally went up to bed last night. hehe! Such girls! ;)

(And thanks to those ugly big snow boots of mine for being so handy to trek through the snow with!)

*****

This afternoon, we went to the Merry-Go-Round Museum! (Gratitude 187) How sweet is that?! How many people can say they've been to a merry-go-round museum? hehe! Then, we went to Marblehead Lighthouse and walked out on the ice. :) So pretty! Of course, the trip ended up with a crazy snowball fight! Such fun! 

A Philosophical Thought by Chadwick

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This afternoon, after a nearly spur-of-the-moment lesson with Lynn, Chad and I were in his office setting up rehearsal times before my recital hearing. Through our planning and catch-up on gossiping, something about life came up and my I-haven't-a-clue-what-I-am-doing complex. And then "Philosophical Chad" stepped into the room. He said, "I think it is great that you don't know what you are doing." What?! Talk about knocking me back onto the piano bench where I'd just stood up from! I said, "Excuse me? Did you just say 'great'? How so?" Then he continued to explain how I am leaving all of my options open and those that think they have plans don't actually know what they are doing, either. They have simply closed options just by setting a so-called "plan." How insightful of him! :) haha!


They had to replace the dishwasher yesterday. How fun. But it is done! And now, we have a place to hide our dirty dishes! haha! (But how true it is!)

I love how my university email shuts me out and deletes the email I just spent 20 minutes writing when I hit send because I took too long! Not! Argh! Also, there is an imp that sneaks into my room at night and implants gray hairs in my head. My cousin Kim informed me that it is my father's fault. Thanks, Daddy! Perhaps, it is true. I don't know. Regardless, it's not cool. Just plain ridiculous!

Cincinatti tomorrow with Chapel Choir to sing at ACDA Convention (American Choral Directors Association). Back for a day of classes on Friday and then Spring Break begins! A quick trip north of the weekend and then back to my apartment for the rest of break. Not the most eventful...no "Girls Gone Wild" for me! haha! That would NEVER happen in my world!! My recital hearing is two days after we return from break, so I'll be here rehearsing, making a recording for a competition, performing on the Hungarian music recital I have been prepping for, and perhaps a lesson with Lynn. My big sis is coming to visit for the last part of my break! Gallery hop, thrifting, Trader Joe's, The Mad Greek....adventure and madness shall ensue! Muahaha! ;)

And can I just say how fabulous these are:

haha! Brilliant! This is the uniform of the Norwegian Olympic curling team. :) Just fabulous! 

Go figure.

This morning, I went to church (for the first time in quite awhile...being a Christian is far more than simply attending a weekly service if you ask me.), and what would the sermon be about? Don't worry. Not about what you are going to wear. Not about what'll happen this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, next year, or even ten years from now. The Big Guy's got it all covered. haha! Go figure. Over the past few weeks, I've really been embracing the philosophy of...  "Life: live it, laugh often, and have no regrets." Every moment is to be embraced, and you can't let a moment go by that you may regret later. (I certainly slip occasionally into freak-out mode, not knowing where life is leading me, but I'm only human! haha!)

This weekend was rather brilliant. :) Friday was movie night with Haley. Fabulous! What better than feel-good Meryl Streep movies and pizza from Anthony's Pizza with a great gal pal? ;) We were both exhausted from the week, so we called it a night about 12:30am, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

Saturday, I had an awesome rehearsal on Schubert's "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" for my recital with Lynn, Chad, and Emili, my friend and SAI sister that is playing the clarinet part. I figured we'd only work for a half hour or so, but we were there for a full hour! It is exhausting but so cool! I love that piece, and it is really coming together. :)

Then, I went to see the Broadway tour production of Dreamgirls downtown with Anthony. A-MAZING!!! It was soooo good! Lots of glitter and lights and fabulous voices. One of Anthony's friends played the MC. It was all superb, though. So glad we went. And Jimmy's high notes! Wow! Popped over to Bryan and Katie's afterwards to catch up on life. I hadn't seen my Katie in like a week!!

Today was Haley's senior voice recital. She was brilliant! She looked stunning in her black gown and sounded gorgeous. She reminds me of Jeanette MacDonald or some old Hollywood singer. :)  Then, a lasagna dinner with the local SAI alumni chapter, rehearsing with Q on one of the Hungarian art songs he composed for me, and SAI meeting. A pretty great weekend.

Hopefully, the dishwasher repair man will be here in the morning. Last week before Spring Break...


Gratitude 184
I am thankful that it wasn't the washer that went kaputt! ;)

Gratitude 183

I am thankful that I can do things for myself.


Our dishwasher has died. Repair man comes Monday, so till then, it's dishes by hand. Oh, well. It is a wonderful modern convenience but not a necessity. However, my roommate seems to think it's the end of the world. haha! We'll survive. ;)

Speaking of my roommate, Alexa had her recital last night. She was beautiful and sang very lovely. I, of course, played lady-in-waiting the whole evening for her while she freaked out about. The roles shall be reverse in a month's time when I give my recital. ;)

Sang in recital hour this morning. Oy. It was fine but certainly not one of my finest moments. Oh, well. $%&# happens. (I gave up swearing for lent...not sure if this is breaking the rules or not...I've already caught myself slip up a few times...I'm a work-in-progress...) Needless to say, it was the premiere of a new Mozart piece, one that you won't find in print anywhere. haha! Sometimes, you just have to let it go and laugh. Still disappointing, though.

Fencing is kicking my butt! I am definitely out of shape...and I hurt. A lot. Spending an hour in a plié position, walking that way forward and backwards, then adding lunges into the mix, all while thrusting a 2-lb. foil in the direction of attack...2-lbs isn't much, but after awhile, you start to feel it's affects. Thus, my thighs are screaming...it's been too long since my ballet days. But I got to play with my sword today! haha! "Play" probably isn't a good term to use in reference to a weapon...better to say "learning to maneuver my defense." ;) 


Meryl Streep marathon tonight with my friend Haley. Meryl is like ultimate actress! Haley and I are fans...esp. after watching Julie & Julia. That movie is definitely in the mix tonight! :) Very sleepy, so hope I can summon enough alertness to make it through without falling asleep. 


P.S. Happy Birthday, Mommy! :) 

Adventure? Yes, please!

So I thought that a brief, spontaneous weekend in New York would help release some pent-up adventure...I was wrong. Certainly, it did a little. However, I failed to realize that it would actually rejuvenate my adventure-seeking quirk. Now, I am, again, ready to go, go, go and explore the fabulous world. New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Roma, Athens, London, Budapest, Vienna, Canada, Philly...wherever...whatever...I just want to travel! I've got the bug...again. ;)

Gratitude 182

York Peppermint Patties. :)  

P.S. Got my fencing gear today! Muahaha! ;) It's pretty sweet...and strange. The chest protector is like a big plastic bra that you wear over your t-shirt and under your jacket. Fun, fun. haha! And I love how I am claustrophobic and wearing this big mask that covers practically my entire head. ;) 

New York, New York!

New York was pretty awesome. Sad that I only got pretty much a day and a half there, but at least I got that. I'll be back, though! Never fear! ;) Saw Lincoln Center, Soho, China Town, Union Square, Times Square, Broadway, the Apollo, Manhattan, Columbus Circle, etc. Only a smidgen of New York, but it is a beginning. It was also extremely cold! And sadly, some of my pictures didn't turn out so great, but oh well. The highlight of the trip, of course, was THE MET! Ah! I am in LOVE with that place. I don't know how I will do it yet, but I AM going to sing there someday. It is a must. It is SO incredible!

And then there is the show we saw, itself. We ended up only being able to get standing room tickets, but whatever! It was still so worth it! Afterall, it was a sold-out show with three hugely international singers, so I consider it pretty lucky that we got to see and hear it at all.

It actually turned out the be the same production of Donizetti's La fille du Regiment that I saw at the broadcast in the park in Vienna with Katrin and Martin. Same set, staging, costumes, etc. The only difference was that Diana Damrau played Marie instead of Natalie Dessay, and the baroness was someone else. Other than that, same everything else. I loved it, though. It was even better live.

Gratitude 181

And then there is the fact that I saw and heard Juan Diego Florez live. Ah! PHENOMENAL!! I kid you not, the show actually stopped after his arias - twice! - because the audience wouldn't stop clapping. (I was definitely one of them! haha!) He had to break his freeze and give a little head bow before the show could continue. Amazing! Those 9 high C's in his Act I aria were crystal clear perfection...and done with such ease!

We also went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I got to see some stunningly beautiful paintings of Van Gogh, Degas, and Monet, as well as Degas' Little Dancer sculpture that he crafted when he was nearly blind. :) Next time, it is the Museum of Modern Art to see Van Gogh's Starry Night!

In short, New York is pretty awesome. I have to say it is not my absolute favorite city in the world, but it is pretty sweet and hope to return very soon. I think I would like to live there someday, for at least a little while. There were actually a few times this weekend when I would forget where I was and felt a little bit like I was in London, and the subway reminded me of Budapest. There really are quite a few parallels between London and New York if you think about it.

Came back this morning to a snow storm and cancelled classes. Need to get working on that voice again if I am going to sing at the Met! ;)  Until then, I await my next adventure...which I hope isn't too far from now...

Romeo et Juliette

Tonight, I went to see the final dress rehearsal downtown for the production of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, since my Sunday plans have changed slightly...  Such fun! I like Act 3 the best. (Yes, when he drinks the poison, and she stabs herself. But that is definitely not why I like it!) The music is just gorgeous in that act. I mean, the whole show has great music, but for some reason, I just love the lushness of the last portion.

As for this weekend, I am SUPER PSYCHED!!! Because...

Gratitude 180
I am going to NEW YORK!!! Yes, that's right. The city. I am SOOOO excited!! Why, you ask? Just because. Does there really need to be any other explanation?! ;)

I have never been. Anthony, Kelly, and I just decided today that we are going to road trip it to the Big Apple and stay with one of Anthony's friends. (Anthony used to live in New York.) Actually, Anthony was already planning to go, then Kelly chimed in and offered to drive. I had to do a little schedule rearranging, but all is well. My spontaneity and adventure are ready to roll! =D  I love my life! (Yes, even when I complain about things sucking...I still love it.) AND...we are going to see the beautiful Juan Diego Florez in La Fille du Regiment at the fabulous Metropolitan Opera! Ah! How cool! Possibly seeing Billy Elliot on Broadway, too. (I love student discount tickets!) Sleep, clearly, isn't going to be happening much this weekend.

Blizzard: Take 2

And the snow hits again. Possible 4-8 inches! Oh, my! haha! It actually is pretty bad outside.Campus doesn't close till 2pm, though.

It hasn't been the most brilliant of days, though. For some insane reason, I woke up at 6:30am and didn't fall back asleep until a half hour before my alarm went off. I nearly died walking to class...and I was even wearing my ugly, big, black snowmobiling boots. (Yes, that is an exaggeration. I just slid a little. I never actually fell.) Then, I get across campus only to find that my class is cancelled, and I never got an email about it. Argh! I could have slept a little longer. Forgot the things I needed to do before my next class at my apartment, so I had to go back. And I spilled my lunch plate all over my computer. I am bound to kill this laptop. But then, Chad called and cancelled my rehearsal with him this afternoon. So now I can stay cozy inside for a little while. Supposed to babysit Gretchen and Kate later.

Yesterday was a mostly wonderful day, though. :)


Gratitude 179
Unlimited texting. ;)

Road Trip.

Tour today did go off without delay. It was tiring, but it went very well. It was fun. Haley and I chatted the whole way home about ridiculous stories of our adventures overseas. (We both need very much so to go back to Europe! haha!) Just got back to my apartment about a half hour ago. Sleepy.

Meeting with my advisor tomorrow to settle my degree audit form for graduation! Eek! (Why does it seem so soon?!) Dress shopping (actually, probably more like perusing...like the last time) with Alexa and Melody. Poetry class in the evening. OH! And I just found out there is a Q&A session in the conservatory with the soprano who is going to sing Juliette in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette this upcoming weekend with the opera company downtown. So...I'm going to go sit in on that tomorrow afternoon, too. (I am going to go see the production next Sunday! Very excited!)

As Haley and I were talking away on the bus, we remembered just how great our lives are. Sure, things may suck sometimes and not go the way we want them to, but we have had some incredible opportunities and privileges. And, as Haley put it, "The whole world is before us! We can do anything!" Life is beautiful. :)

Gratitude 178

Yesterday, I pretty much fried my brain watching movies all day. Also went to go see When in Rome with my roommate. Funny, quirky, cute, and slightly weird. This weekend has been pretty awesome. Not very productive, but definitely the rejuvenation of light-hearted spirits that has been much-needed. :)

PJ Day!

No tour trip, again, today. I was looking forward to staying at my great aunt and uncle's house tonight. :( But I can't say that I am terribly upset about not going on the trip today in general. PJs and movies all day! :) I love snow!

Sadly, though, my neti pot just broke! Oh, no! This is a tragedy. Seriously. That thing is one of the best inventions ever. (Also, I never thought I'd see the day when I convinced Bryan and Katie to use a neti pot, and then yesterday, they were raving to me about it...apparently, they got one and tried it on their own accord! Muahaha! I've converted them!)

Gratitude 177
My big, ugly snowmobiling snow boots. Keep my toes nice and toasty and treks through the snow less treacherous...I am rather a klutz.

Now for that poetry paper...

Friday.

Our stop for choir tour last night was fine. Making people happy. That's what our music is for. Today, a blizzard. By blizzard, I mean a few inches coming down in ping-pong-sized snowflakes. This is nothing compared to home. However, it shuts down the whole city and the university, thus cancelling our tour trip for today. Find out soon about tomorrow's trip. Day-by-day decisions.

Giuseppe's with Kelly and Anthony this afternoon. Then Katie and Bryan's for the rest of the day. Enjoying the unexpected free time. Need to write that poetry paper sometime...due Monday at 6pm...plenty of time! haha! ;)

Gratitude 176
Friends. The genuine ones I have discovered through the past four years of my undergraduate. :) Thanks for all of your support, encouragement, laughter, adventures, and fun times, dear ones.

Only now exists.

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." -Calvin & Hobbes

Gratitude 175
Every Tuesday in choir is devotions day. Someone signs up to spread some cheer/encouragement/wisdom/scripture/laughter/etc. Whatever suits their fancy. Today's supported my own inspirations for today: Only now exists. The present is my present. And nothing can that that away except letting it slip by unnoticed and unexperienced.

I awoke this morning to a new day. Getting a little more sleep, thankfully, than the night before, and rising a little earlier than necessary, so I could do some schoolwork. It was time to step up to the plate and not let life pass by while I hung on to sorrow. I'm allowed one day of self-pity. That was yesterday. Today is moving past and creating something new. Sure, there is still some hurt lingering in my heart, but it'll fade with time. Strength of character is found in the standing back up after smacking your face on the carefully-laid bricks. Keep the spirits high, a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and take heart in the world of possibilities that surround you. Anything can happen. Only He knows. And when it isn't as we think it should be, He clearly has something better in mind and excitedly awaits the perfect time to reveal it to us. (I'd take a couple of clues, though, please!)

Cheering Up

Gratitude 174

I am thankful for hugs. Hugs make everything a little better. (And I got 12 pretty red roses today, too!)

Missing Europe a lot today. Singing on Saturday still makes me smile, though. :) It reminded me of why I sing and what I am doing it for. It feels right. I love the theatre. I am ready to do it again. Always. :)

Choir tour Thursday thru Sunday this week. Ugh. It's going to be a long few days! Staying with my great aunt and uncle on our overnight stay, though! That'll be fun! I hear they are really excited my friend Haley and I are coming. ;)