are you serious?

Next week is the last week of classes... are you SERIOUS?!?!? Where in the heck did the semester go? I am so excited to be close to being done for the semester, but I can't believe how much stiff needs to be done in the next 2 weeks!!!

Oi!

L'Enfant et les Sortileges

This weekend is my first opera in grad school! I'm singing the mother in Ravel's "L'Enfant et les Sortileges"! I am so excited! This is a wonderful production, Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm... so be thinking of me!

pics!

CADE!

PANTS!!!

I love pants! For those of you who don't know who pants is.... it's AMANDA! She came in on Thursday (her birthday) to NY, and we had the best time! Jeff picked her up from the airport, and then they retrieved me from Carnegie Hall (just sang Mahler 2) with Lily (woof), and then we went to this crazy pub with lots of hoochies... but really good food and great '80s music. The next day we ran around with her friend Ben, saw David T. Little, and watched "Ugly Betty" with Stacia. All before going to Amanda's bday dinner at Bond 45 (yum!) in Times Square and then to see the brilliant David Hyde Pierce in "Curtains" (hilar!) with Jeff and Eldon. Then on Sunday afternoon we met Paul and Joel at NY City Opera to watch Heidi Stober in Handel's "Agrippina". Heidi was BRILLIANT with the best entrance I've seen in a while... in a bathtub! To Princeton we came that evening, at the Triumph we ate, had yummy ice cream (pumpkin) at Ricky's... then home to watch random movies as only she and I can! I miss her so much already.... :( It's amazing to me how whole you can feel when you're with someone who really knows and understands you!

How is it October already?

Wha' happened? Where did September go? Being a grad student takes up so much time... and so does singing the opening day at Carnegie Hall! This was such an amazing experience! We sang Beethoven's 9th with the Lucerne Orchestra and we had 4 standing ovations each night. Jessye Norman and Calvin Klein were just 2 of our audience members... :)

I've been sick for the past 2 weeks, it started with a cold and then it turned into bronchitis! YUCK! As soon as I can get some pics to post, I will!

Much Love!

Opera Auditions!

Yeah! Today starts the 3 day marathon of opera auditions (of which I am the monitor!) and I am so excited to get to meet everyone auditioning!

COPIES!

I made lots of copies yesterday - that made me happy! I know, I'm a dork, and I'm ok with that!

Today we start choir rehearsal, even though school doesn't start until next week... Hard Core.

Glimmerglass... Pretty!

I saw an incredible opera while I was at Glimmerglass visiting... Phillip Glass's "Orphee". IT WAS GREAT! I loved it! Here are some pretty pictures of Glimmerglass! :)

Driving to Rochester - Oh the beauty!

Last week I was able to drive to Rochester to see my dad and mom for my dad's new job, and then I drove to Cooperstown, NY (where Glimmerglass Opera is) to visit my BFFs the Criders and my Godson, Cade! YEAH! We had a great time and Cade's 2nd bday was so much fun! Here are some fun pictures, with the many faces Cade... oh, the terrible 2s...

I feel like a dumb dumb.

I started orientation yesterday at Westminster... and OI! I feel so old, and so dumb. I've had 8 placement tests in the past 2 days and I feel so stupid. I know it's been quite a long time since I've been in a music class, but still... :(

I am so excited to actually do work for Maestro Beckwith tomorrow for my assistantship! I love getting things done with Danielle! :)

We start rehearsal for Beethoven's Ninth on Thursday! I'm uber excited! Wish me luck with grad school!

George's

While in NYC with Jeff, we went to his fav dive around the corner to get yummy pizza, calzones, etc... I have to say, in 3 days, I ate there twice. George doesn't talk much, just in grunts, and then lets you know how much... this calzone cost $3... this calzone cost $3... this calzone cost 3 f-ing dollars! And it was stuffed with spinach and cheese - it was so amazing. But, the BEST part - is this poster, AND that there wasn't just one of these posters, but 2 of them across from eachother - staring and eating their gyros.

Amazing, George, Amazing.

I got FIRED! YEAH!

I can't believe I got fired today. But it's ok, I told her she was a bully and I called her district manager and told him everything!

Down with retail

So, today my boss (let's call her "M") asked me why, after possibly wanting to become assistant manager of "The Avenue", had I put in my 2 weeks notice. I looked at her, and her tattooed self, and I said, "You, It's because of you"! HAHAHA! She just looked at me and wanted to know why I didn't try to "communicate" with her about why I was unhappy... and I told her I tried, and as I was talking, she cut me off and starting talking over me. So, I stopped talking and said "This, "M", this is why. You don't respect me as a human or as an employee, and I can't work for someone who doesn't respect me."

I only have 1 1/2 left!!!! yeehaw!

Puck Fair - the greatest Irish bar - EVER

Spencer and I went to eat at Puck Fair while Jeff was finishing up her fizzity softball games... We had the best time! First, we ended up really "bonding" with our bartender Jackie because this crazy guy sat down next to us at the bar... with a knife. What kind of knife you ask... a Rachel Ray cooking knife. He was unpacking it, and Spencer saw cuts on his arms, so we were like "Oh Shit, we've got a cutter"! Then he ordered and kept asking what the exact time was... and we were so confused by his actions, and thought that he might be going on a knife rampage... It was creepy!

After he left, we had a BLAST! We had the best time with Jackie! She was so funny and had the best Irish accent. Chase ended up meeting us there for some beers and whiskey... Oi! I hadn't done that for a LONG time! hee hee

Fizzity Softball

So... Jeff is part of a gay softball team... hahaha, it's amazing! We had the best time at his tournament this past Saturday morning!

Stacia and Spencer in Princeton!

YEAH! Stacia and Spencer came to visit me in Princeton! We had dinner at Triumph bar and grill, then walked to Thomas Sweets for ice cream! We had such a rehearsally time!

Weekend in the city!

This weekend, I went to spend with Jeff in NYC! We had a great time! Fizzity football, a soprano competition in Little Italy, and packing!

I went to this incredible Irish Pub called Puck Fair. Spencer and I had lunch there, and then Chase met us there for beer. (pictures will come soon)

Then I went to the land of Weehawken. It was so very interesting...

Also, in Weehawken, David and I went to this crazy Mexican restaurant where there was this rusty chair... I was so mortified when it completely snapped underneath me. :(

more CoOPERAtive pics

I HATE RETAIL!

More specifically, I hate working at the Avenue! I can't stand this place and I was suppose to be receiving my pay check today... but my "manager" told me TODAY that I won't get it until next week. AND she kept insisting that I was told and that I knew and that it was in the "handbook". Well, why would I be so very surprised if I already knew?!?!?! I wouldn't - idiot. Hate it.

CoOPERAtive 2007

CoOPERAtive is this great new program that was created by some really talented people at Westminster Choir College. It is an audition preparation program where I had 3-5 coachings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with masterclasses on Tuesdays and Thursdays and yoga EVERYDAY! This was such an incredible "jump start" for me before I start grad school this fall.

Here are some great pics! Enjoy!