2.19.2010

thoughts on NYC.


Pros:
-Matt & Jenna proximity
-Transportation ease
-Lots of lovely places to shop (also a con because this is dangerous for me)
-I am looking forward to moving to a new place

Cons:
-Expensive
-Practicing is going to be an issue
-Smells like garbage and urine

To Do:
-Find a roommate
-Find a job
-Find a place to live
-Find someone to sublet my Canadian apt for the last few months of my lease

baking with Sean :)



2.12.2010

dreaming...

of going to New York tomorrow and spending my time there baking, cooking, going to concerts, and practicing. And of course hanging out with my loved ones.

...mini Boston creme pies. Sound good?

2.10.2010

Audition thoughts.

I had my Banff audition yesterday. For a normal audition, you go in, play, and the person listening says "thanks" and you leave.

This is not how my audition went. I went in and did a small amount of normal chit chat, "Where are you from? What are you going to play?" I started with my Bach and it was awful. Lots of memory slips. At this point, the listener would usually say "thanks for coming in." Instead, he said, "Are you nervous? Do you feel comfortable? What would make you more comfortable?"

"...um. I am nervous, and I could play my Dvorak for you."

I play the Dvorak and he says, "You're very interesting to me because the hard stuff sounds great and wonderful and the easy things aren't that great. Why is that?"

"...um..."

"Tell me about yourself."

I proceeded to talk to him for about 10 minutes even though I had already been in the room for 10. (The audition was only supposed to be 10 minutes)

He seemed very nice, but I left feeling perplexed and I still kind of feel that way. I guess that it's better that he took interest in me and wanted to know about my playing and background, but still. Very abnormal.

When I left and people asked me how it went I just said, "I don't really know."

I will find out in late March/early April.

2.04.2010

was I wrong? ...I don't think so.

Why do some people feel the need to be right all the time and others don't? Does it give the righter satisfaction to know that the wrongers are wrong, in turn, making themselves feel better? When right, does the righter rub it in the wronger's face, and if so, does that really help matters?

I don't think that anyone likes being wrong, but I do know that a lot of people don't feel the urgent need to state their case about why they are right and just bite their tongue, perhaps choosing to pass on that particular battle.

Others are always vocal about any wronging that may be occurring, justified or not.

What is this? And, why? And how does one stop this madness?

According to Debbie Mandel,
- Develop a good self-concept. Focus inward on your specific and special contribution. Cultivate a personal identity; then you won’t need to assert it.
- Try not to interrupt while other people speak; pay attention to your body language. For example, don’t roll your eyes.
- When you disagree with an opinion, summarize the other person’s point of view first. Make sure you understand his perspective before you present your own.
- Don’t be afraid to make a mistake and be wrong. Learn from being wrong.
- The truth is fluid. What is right today may be wrong tomorrow. Just look at the history of medicine!
- Observe your feelings with family, friends and colleagues. How does being right make you feel and how does letting other people be right too make you feel?
- Keep your emotional communication limited to two minutes; otherwise you risk preaching and venting.
- Align your actions with your words so that people can evaluate your points and trust you. Walk the walk.

2.01.2010

long distance sucks

Matt and I work much better when we're together in person. After a few weeks of being apart, we decided that it was necessary to see each other. So, in a very spontaneous decision, Matt jumped on a plane and came to visit me.


Right now I'm performing in Don Giovanni and last week had an exorbitant rehearsal schedule. Matt flew into Buffalo and I picked him up there at 1230am. We got back into London around 345am. Yuck. We spent 2 gloriously peaceful days being together and then I drove him back to the Buffalo airport at 2am after about an hour of sleep. I got back into London at 830am. Note to self: Driving to Buffalo during these hours really sucks. Try to avoid this in the future.


I'm counting down the days until I get to see him again, as always. 12 more days and I'll be in NYC for "spring break."