Week 5

Like whoa, when did that happen. We are officially half way through our summer here in Breckenridge. This week is exciting for a number of reasons. First, we received our second food stipend payment. Grocery shopping hooray!

This week is Chamber Orchestra #2. The other chamber orchestra gets a few days off while we rehearse. We had our time off, now it's their turn :)
Yesterday was my roommate, Hannah's, birthday. She wanted to go shopping with her birthday money, so we all piled in my car and drove to Silverthorne. Found a super cute dress at Target for extra cheap.

Last week, during my time off, I went on my fourth 14er hike with my host parents, Lisa, and NRO brother Mike. It was a lot of fun, beautiful as always, and as difficult to breathe as I remember lol. We made good time though. Afterwards we all went to Empire Burger for some much deserved food.

Parents are coming this weekend for the Shosti 5 concert. I'm trying to think of things to do while they're here--ride the Gondola? And, that's all I have so far. I'll need to do some brain storming for further ideas.

Week 1

So I have a little catching up to do. The plan was to do this more often--but oh well.

So this Saturday (June 18th) was our first concert- Barber 2nd Essay, Rimsky Symphony Espagnole, and Dvorak New World. It was a good concert, and a fabulous way to start out the season. My stand partner for the concert was Lisa Goddard; I think we made a good team.

I had found out earlier that afternoon that Mr. G was planning on coming to the concert. That was really special for me to have someone I knew and respected in the audience. Got to talk/see him briefly afterwards, and he was very complimentary of the strings, particularly the violins. :)

Fatty's was the place to be after the concert, with the usual spectacular buffet and open bar. Good music, good food, and good people. What more can you ask for?? Got to meet some new people (I'm determined to widen my social circle) and saw some old alumns Oscar and Joel.
After Fatty's, a bunch of us went to go dancing afterwards, and THAT was a lot of fun. I haven't been dancing if too long. You just gotta move sometimes. The plan is to go again Wednesday night for Ladies Night.

Sunday was our day off. I slept in, watched some NCIS (which I am now fully addicted to btw--thank you Hannah), and then went to carter park for some soccer and frisbee. That fizzled after a while, only a few people showed up, so Hannah and I headed to the gym to try bouldering/rock climbing. It was fun but definitely a little scary. I didn't want to push my hands and arms too much so after a while I amused myself with racquet ball. Totally haven't played that since freshman year. I really missed it--hopefully I can a few games in before the summer is over.

So yesterday (Monday, it totally snowed. It was pretty awesome. I had always heard that it's not uncommon to get snow in the mountains even in the summer, but I hadn't ever experienced it. My body didn't really know what to do with the weather shock lol. Robert Franz was our guest speaker after rehearsal. As usual, very captivating. I wish I could work with him on a more frequent basis. It's too bad we don't get to do a concert with him this summer. I sure enjoyed Brahms with him last time. Mmmm, good concert.

Today, (I'm almost caught up!!) Tuesday, was our second concert: Imagination Express. Since it was during the afternoon, we had the evening to ourselves. My roommates and I took advantage of the afternoon to go to Silverthorne Outlets. Katie needed a new white shirt for concert dress, and I just wanted to go shopping. Definitely got some great deals, makes me wish I had good outlets where I live.

Well, I think that about brings us up to date for now. Never a dull moment though in Breckenridge, that's for sure!

1st Day- Take 2

So, today is my first day back at NRO. I'm really excited to be here again and I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer. After check in yesterday, I found my condo and started unpacking. I totally got the Master bedroom with my own bathroom. Score! Way better than sharing one bathroom between 4 girls lol. And!!! We also got twice as much grocery money as last time...A fabulous surprise.

After lunch today I went on a walk with my roommates, Katie and Hannah, and showed them around town. It was good to get reacquainted with everything. I'm glad to see some of my favorite spots and restaurants are still here.

Our first rehearsal is this evening at 6pm. I warmed up a little this morning, and I'm planning on doing a little practice after I finish with this. Check that--neighbors came knocking because of Katie practicing horn :/

One thing I want to do is take a picture of the mountains every few days so I can see the difference over the summer. I loved taking pictures last time, and I'm pretty sure I'll be just as crazy this year. I can't wait for the Blue River to calm down a little (it's pretty raging) so I can go wading in it again.

My summer to do list definitely includes some 14ers. :) I got 3 (Sherman, Grey's and Torrey's) last time. Hopefully I can get at least that many again with the added bonus of not injuring my knee like last year (here's hoping). And, in addition to all the concerts and rehearsals the plan is to put in practice on excerpts and Tchaik to get me ready for auditions in the fall. I could count on my hands the times I actually practiced last time--and it was always for concerts not personal practice. Thankfully, with my own room and fewer condo mates I think I'll be more comfortable with practicing without bothering people. Here's hoping neighbors knocking on our door about music won't be a recurring pattern. !

Went down to Riverwalk to pick up a parking permit just now. Went out after lunch to find a tow away warning on my windshield. Yeah, no bueno. I have no idea when they put it on my car, so I figured it would probably be wise to get that taken care of pronto. Don't want to come out to leave for rehearsal and find I don't have a car. Well. That's all the "exciting" adventures and plans so far. More to come!

Nostalgia

So FB is redoing their profile format. Retarded, I know. Since the summer, I have kept a couple of NRO quotes on my profile. Every time I get a little NRO homesick, I look at them and remember good times. However, FB apparently will delete anything that doesn't fit the exact specifications to the section? And since they're not in the designated "quote" section, they are anticipated to disappear unless I do something with them. So that is what brings me here. I'm going to post what things I had, so I don't lose them :)

National Repertory Orchestra, 2009

*at the top of our lungs singing out my car window at strangers*
"Bracket. Bracket, Bracket. Bracket. Bracket, Bracket...."- Christa & Me

*Impersonating Hugh Jackman*
"Ooooooooh, When my baby
When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio
De Janeiro, my-oh-me-oh!" -Topliow

"Is that Jeapordy? "- Jennifer Sours
"No, it's a show on lemurs..."- Christa Saeger

"Bacon is God's crack..."- Tim Abott
"I don't think God does crack."- Joe Peters
"Well if God did do crack, He would do bacon."- Me

"I'm gonne be famous for something besides cello. I haven't decided what yet. Maybe the worlds largest something..." - Christa Saeger

*While at the dog park*
"Wanna go between my legs, everyone's doing it."- Christa Saeger

"Climbing a 14-er is like giving birth. The pain is all worth worthwhile once you get to the top..."- Jenn

If I come across any other ones, I'll be sure to post more. Miss you guys!

Thankful

My first thing that I'm thankful for: Health. This is the first Thanksgiving in about 4 years that I've not been dreadfully sick. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I'm in a pretty good place environmentally, physically, mentally, and emotionally. My stress level, with the exception of a few times this semester, has been almost below the radar. It's been amazing.

 

I'm thankful for new beginnings. I'm thankful for my family; A good school that's a good fit for me; A good teacher; A good and wonderful instrument; A good bow to go along with it; A good roommate; Old friends; Some great new friends; and a God that I can always run to.

 

I had my first Thanksgiving away from my family this year. Oddly enough, this year my parents decided to have our first family gathering since I can almost remember. They drove out to Colorado to visit with my Aunt and cousins. Since it's pretty far away I decided to stay here. It would be expensive, stressful, and school continues on Monday not really leaving a whole lot of visiting time anyway. So instead my friend Charles was having a few people over and I went over to his house. Apart from Charles' roasted duck, it was a Vegan and Lactose-Free dinner. It was pretty fun, I'd never had a tofurky before much less mashed potatoes made with soy milk. It was good though, and I probably benefited from the lactose free angle. I've recently decided/discovered that I'm probably lactose intolerant. Which this explains a lot of my stomach/digestion problems I've been having for….seems like forever.

 

Since I wasn't coming home, Dad sent me Boudin sourdough breadbowls on Wednesday. I shared them with Kate and Logan, they were very appreciative of the good meal. J

 

Thought I might list a few of my Thanksgiving break accomplishments, since there are soooo many. Thrift store shopping: scored a nice black wool coat for $10; Breadbowl dining experience #1 with Kate. Chuckathon with Kate. Fretwork listening marathon with Oliver. 4:45 am wake-up call on Thanksgiving to drive Kate to Airport. Drive in redic-thick fog. Go to uber sketch Compare Foods, while fearing for my life, to buy last minute green beans, almonds, and cranberry sauce (What people will do for holiday food); Supper at Charle's place sitting on loveseat with pillows as booster at cardtable; Ate copious amounts of food; Walmart wine adventure. Group movie of Lemony Snickets. Finish Seinfeld disk 2; Sleep 14 hours. It was wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Yesterday, I dyed my hair. It did not go as planned. Now the bottom half of my hair is red. I will re-dye it tomorrow. Yes. This cannot be seen in school. Must fix this.

Today I went to Lowes to finally fix my clogged bathtub drain. I didn't shower before going because the clog was so bad. Sporting one of my OU t-shirts I go into Lowes looking for needle nose pliers and some good-ole draino. Totally made my day in a weird sort of way, but someone asked me for help thinking I worked there. Sorry, no. I don't work at Lowes. But thought it was hilarious none the less. Got home and totally fixed my drain. I am awesome AND self-sufficient. *Double punch-POW* I feel extremely productive. Well, as soon as my draino sufficiently drains away I will take my much needed shower and then go put my productivity to use in the musical arena. I hear that I might actually have a lesson tomorrow. It would be a sad day indeed if I go in like sounding like I do now. Should get on that improvement thing. Sounding good is ALWAYS preferable. Sounding like crap ALWAYS to be avoided. And just found out, apparently I have a lesson tomorrow. Yeah. I think it's time for my shower now.

So basically ends my wonderful North Carolina Thanksgiving Break. Did I mention I love trimesters?

Time to go home

It's about that time. Less than 48 hours before I get into my car and start driving back to Oklahoma. There is a lot of sweet and sour emotions along with this realization. I'm glad to be going home to see my family and start to get ready for school. I'm going to a new school this semester and I have a lot of things to get all together before I go. Plus, a little less hectic of a schedule will be nice before school. At the same time, I've had such an amazing summer; I can hardly describe how much fun I've had. From making some amazing friends and acquaintances, to making some life changing music, a lot has happened this summer. While a part of me wants this to continue forever, I take comfort in the fact that it's ending while I still feel that way. Ending happily, with good thoughts is the way I would want to leave Breck. I feel like this place is my second home. I definitely want to come back for a second season. I've decided I don't want to come back next year, but come back the year after that. That way, I can hopefully improve enough to land a position higher up, maybe even solo with the orchestra.

Looking back, I don't know how I've survived without a summer festival these last 2 summers. Summer festivals inspire, motivate, and make you such a better musician. No wonder I've had such hard semesters, there wasn't any wonderful music making time to look back on or look forward for that matter. I know I need and want to go to festivals as much as I can, whenever I can. Hopefully, it will always be an option. Now that I've got my foot in the door with one really good festival, I hope that will help me elsewhere. If nothing else, at future auditions, I'll have a little confidence to fall back on.

I've realized also since I've been how lucky I am to have the friends that I have. For me, I've come to appreciate the importance of being surrounded by people who aren't self-destructive. I've managed to reach a good place since I've been here and I accredit it to the fact that I have friends who are confident in who they are. It might not make sense, but it's been very crucial to my well being. You mimic those around you whether you intend to or not. Being around people who love music, love life, and love being around you can make all the difference. So here's to Melissa, Joe, Christa, Jennifer, Tim, Christine, and Calvin.

I've heard comments all summer from patrons about how enthusiastic the orchestra is and sounds this season. I think there are two distinguishable characteristics as to why this is. For starters, we all wanted to be here. This is one of the festivals for our age group and level. The people here aren't here because they didn't get in somewhere else. That I think has been extremely crucial to our continued enthusiasm and success throughout NRO season. Secondly, just about all of us are good people. We're easy to work with, we love what we do, and we're looking how to get as much as we can out of this experience. It really only takes one person to ruin the group atmosphere, and it usually doesn't take much. I've appreciated the fact that while maybe the rehearsals directly after a concert at 9 am in the morning are not exactly our best, we get right back on the band (orchestra?) wagon and get back to how we were and how we know we can play. I've also immensely appreciated (and learned from) the level of professionalism within the group. I know I'm leaving here with a better understanding of what It is to be a part of such an enormous ensemble and learning how to make it work. It's such a vital part to the orchestral experience and it will be needed/used from here on out.

Well, bed is calling and I have our last rehearsal tomorrow at 10am. I will hopefully get up early enough so that I can start loading my car. But, considering my usual waking patterns I don't foresee getting up in time to do anything else besides getting showered and dressed. 36 hours left. So sad, so glad. I'll miss you Breckenridge!

NRO Highlights

• Starting the season with John William's "The Mission" and reality setting in that I was really here at NRO.
  
• Hiking for my first time in the Rocky Mountains
  
• After concert martinis at Blue River Bistro. Elderflower Pear and Champaign Dreams, my favorite.
  
• Carl Topilow singing "I Go to Rio" like Hugh Jackman. OoooOooOooh, My Baby!
  
• Getting to know my amazing condo mates, the Tyra Ten
  
• Being Conducted by "Superman" Topilow
  
• Peak 8 fun park alpine slides. Best day ever!
  
• White Water Rafting!
  
• Mahler 6. Nothing like it
  
• Brahms 1 with Robert Franz. Life Changing.
  
• Playing "Hearts" every day for weeks, and still being just as bad as when I started. Maybe worse. Chikachaka!
  
• Tyra Ten BBQs. Corn on the cob, Brawts, and Hamburgers. mmm, mmm, mmm.
  
• Hiking my first 14er, Mt Sherman. Oh the cold!
  
• S'mores at the Reservoir, and making lots of noise to scare away bears.
  
• Rehearsal with Jaap Van Sweden on Brahms 4
  
• Hearing the NY Phil and have a storm come on cue with Fantastique's Dies Irae
  
• Going to the dog park with Christa and Tim with his host mom's dogs.
  
• Getting in touch with my hunter gatherer skills with Jenn at the reservoir.
  
• Falling into the Reservoir
  
• Playing Ultimate at Carter Park
  
• Joe singing like the "Skittles Bunny"
  
• Having movie parties inspired by our movie concert
  
• Trapped in the Closet: R. Kelly and Southpark
  
• Learning to play Eurcher on a bus from Evergreen
  
• Singing Billy Joel songs and then morphing into Disney with my condo mates.
  
• Seeing Harry Potter opening night at the Jankity Speakeasy Theater.
  
• Creating fire with Christa.
  
• Joe and Calvin singing "Skittles Bunny" outside Jenn's door
• Standing at 14,000 on the Continental Divide
  
• Tormenting Calvin along with my condo
  
• Having an English dinner of chicken and sausage with my host parents every week
  
• Calvin doing the voice over for Star Trek
  
• Hitting the cactus with Joe's maze prize ball for ten points
  
• Christa beating Calvin at pool
  
• Hot tub hopping with Melissa and Christa.
  
• Wading in Blue River
  
• 4^th of July. Madness and all. Loved it.
  
• Visiting the Summit County Medical Center
  
• Having an oxygen tank as our condo mascot: Ludwig Van
  
• My parents visiting for our Joe Alessi and Daphnis concert
  
• Having a Shostakovich 5 solo during rehearsal from the back of the section
  
• Going from 10,000 to 14,000 to 5,000 and back to 10,000 in one day.
  
• Everyday further proving the reality of how small the music world actually is
  
• Realizing the importance and wonderfulness of being surrounded by great musicians and great people
  
• Pants sledding in July
  
• Joe constantly making reeds and making squawks and squeaks
  
• Tie-Dying t-shirts with Melissa and Christa
  
• Dancing swing with Joe in the living room
  
• Having movie nights on the couch with a computer as our screen
  
• Monday's Ladies night at The Brewery
  
• Making empanadas with Isabele and Tyra
  
• Dinner at Bonnie's and Raphie's
  
• Taking pictures of everything that happened here.
  
• Violin section pizza party at Terry and Laurie's
  
• Learning how to play darts and kicking ass
  
• Geeking out about music whenever I want with people and learning more in return
  
• Having one unforgettable, amazing summer.