...I have to leave:( I am flying to Portland for Casey's wedding tomorrow! The only reason I am regretful about the trip is because I will need to get acclimated again when I return. Oh well, it's worth it--Casey's getting married!
It's amazing how much can happen in the course of one or two days around here. Everything is new and good--I wish every day of my life were like this! Yesterday I went for my first run in Aspen in the AM. It was fine, I just felt a bit winded. The 8AM weather was perfect for running-crisp, warm, and sunny. Later on yesterday I was bored, so I went for a bike ride! I really enjoy my bike-it's more of a road bike than I have ever had before. I moves really well with me, as long as I keep my balance:) I explored the rio grande trail so I could know my surroundings a bit more, got lost at least 5 times, saw some amazing millionaires' houses, saw a few river surfers , and somehow ended up downtown, where I lost the trail and made my way back home. It was a great ride, and I hope to have many more. I'll take my camera next time.
This morning some RA buddies and I went for a quick hike up the Ute Trail. It was tough! It was like the steep part from normal hikes, but it lasted for the entire hike. The hardest part was that I couldn't get enough oxygen, so my heart was beating really fast and I couldn't catch my breath. But other than that, it was great! The view from the top was beautiful. I think people get to the point where they can ascend the trail in about 30 minutes, and get back down in even less. It's a great morning "jaunt" that I will be doing more often.
I visited a Rec Center today with some other RAs. It's only a mile from my dorm and it has a pool, a lazy river, a hot tub, a climbing wall, an ice rink, free weights, and a cardio room. I thought it sounded like a fun idea because I could take advantage of the pool and the climbing wall. Unfortunately, the membership fee is pretty steep, so unless the RAs can register as a family, I don't think I'll be joining. I know, I have enough activities to keep me busy anyway;)
Tomorrow I will meet Erin and Jack & Jeri in Arvada before I head to the airport. Maine, here I come!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day 2
I got a bike today!
So apparently there's this guy (named Chris?) who works for the festival. He fixes up about 200 bikes and makes them ready to ride. As student RAs, we went to his tent today, picked out a bike, and signed it out for the summer! For free! I got a sweet road bike. We rode downtown to get student IDs. It was so nice to ride around in the sun and look up at the mountains.
It turns out there are a few other runners on the RA staff; Meredith is training for a marathon and Brightin has run 3 marathons: Philly, Boston and another one. She was actually in Ithaca the same time as me, studying at Cornell and running on their track and cross country team! I will hopefully go for a run with her soon.
Playing is feeling better, touched on William Tell and La Gazza Ladra today. I also spoke with Michael Powell and John Rojak about a possible playing opportuntiy with NRO in a few weeks. It was exciting to chat with them; it definitely got me pumped for the festival to start next week!
So far, I am having a blast!
So apparently there's this guy (named Chris?) who works for the festival. He fixes up about 200 bikes and makes them ready to ride. As student RAs, we went to his tent today, picked out a bike, and signed it out for the summer! For free! I got a sweet road bike. We rode downtown to get student IDs. It was so nice to ride around in the sun and look up at the mountains.
It turns out there are a few other runners on the RA staff; Meredith is training for a marathon and Brightin has run 3 marathons: Philly, Boston and another one. She was actually in Ithaca the same time as me, studying at Cornell and running on their track and cross country team! I will hopefully go for a run with her soon.
Playing is feeling better, touched on William Tell and La Gazza Ladra today. I also spoke with Michael Powell and John Rojak about a possible playing opportuntiy with NRO in a few weeks. It was exciting to chat with them; it definitely got me pumped for the festival to start next week!
So far, I am having a blast!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
One busy week!
Wow, what a whirlwind of a crazy week! I have been all over North America this week, and I am happy to be in one place for a little while (but not for long!)
The Women’s Brass competition was over quickly, but it was definitely a good experience. I wasn’t completely happy with how I played, mostly because the pianist and I weren’t together on two separate occasions, but I recorded it and I was really happy with the improvements I had made; not to mention that I replicated them in the performance, namely intonation, clarity of style, and overall consistency. The preliminary round was behind a screen, which was a new experience for me: to play a solo with piano without a visible audience. But hey, it meant that I could tap my foot without anyone noticing, so that’s a plus☺ So once I resolved that my performance wouldn’t win me first place, I started packing up, hoping that Mary and I could hit the road on Tuesday afternoon. Unexpectedly, I won second place!! I was pretty surprised and delighted! The prize money will cancel out the entrance fee I had to pay to compete, and I can put the placement on my resume. Hooray! Now I need to enter more competitions…
After a long trip home, and a late arrival in Bloomington, I spent the next two days resting and getting ready for my next big trip. It was tough to pack for two months in Colorado, especially since I didn’t know what to expect in terms of weather. But I did my best and brought way too much stuff. ☺ I drove for about 12 hours on Friday, which included a 60 minute shopping break in Target, and spent the night in Salina, Kansas. Let me tell you, a hotel room has never been so rewarding! I scored a king size bed, threw my stuff wherever I wanted, and watched TV in bed. Needless to say, I slept real well that night.
Proof I drove Kansas.
Saturday morning I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes first thing to make sure my legs were still functioning after the car ride. They were. Boy, did that treadmill feel strange though. I haven’t run on one of those in years. I was sure I would fall while I was looking at myself in the mirror. (Its not every day I get to see myself running!) Well I didn’t fall, but I did experience a minor disaster a little while later: I locked my keys in my trunk. 30 minutes and 60 bucks later, I was back on track, although a bit behind schedule.
The drive to Denver wasn’t too bad because a night of rest separated me from the other half of Kansas (as Bill and I found out back in March, driving the entire length of Kansas in one day is not for the faint of heart!). Plus I had lunch with Erin to look forward to! I met her at Cheesecake Factory (a family favorite) and we had a great time sitting on the terrace in downtown Denver. What a cool city! I could definitely live there.
After my visit with Erin, only one thing stood between Aspen and I: the Rocky Mountains. As I set out on my final leg, a little red flag went up in my mind. I had been hearing an intermittent rumbling engine sound since just before Denver, and it was back. That combined with my car’s sudden inability to accelerate normally up hills made me worried, because I knew I had a bunch of “hills” ahead! I filled my gas tank and called Dad, who advised that I get it looked at. So I took my car to Wal-Mart (thank goodness they were still open at 6pm on a Saturday night!), and the guys that helped me there were great! To make a long story short, I was completely out of oil and they suspected that my car was having trouble adjusting to the altitude change. (To which I said “Well, I feel fine!” and J.D. said, “your car’s computer isn’t as advanced as yours!”) They fed my car 3 quarts of oil and I was on my way. Luckily the noise was gone. I crawled into Aspen at 10pm (mountain time), and I was ready to pass out! The residence director gave me my key and showed me to my place. Soon after, my roommate arrived. Her name is Kathleen and she is a flute player from Virginia. We spent a little while getting to know each other and unpacking before we turned it in. I was soooooo tired!
This is the outside of our dorms
This morning we met the other Res Life staff and loaded pillows/blankets into the students' rooms. Following that, we took a tour of Aspen. It's so amazing! It's a cozy little town set in a beautiful landscape. I was overwhelmed. Plus the campus, dorms, and performance hall are spread out within Apsen. I'm going to have to learn how to get everywhere myself. Here are some pics that I took on a walk this afternoon with Kathleen.
After taking two days off and ascending in altitude, my playing is a bit out of whack today. This RA staff is great: they all need time to practice, so it is built into the schedule. We all need to practice during the day, so we do! It wasn't feeling too great to play much today, so I didn't. I take the advice of Peter Ellefson: "take your time getting back to the horn." No problem, Pete!
Because of the altitude, I also have to wait a few days to run :( The walk was enough for today. It wiped me out!
Sorry for the gap between posts! I will do my best to update more often!
The Women’s Brass competition was over quickly, but it was definitely a good experience. I wasn’t completely happy with how I played, mostly because the pianist and I weren’t together on two separate occasions, but I recorded it and I was really happy with the improvements I had made; not to mention that I replicated them in the performance, namely intonation, clarity of style, and overall consistency. The preliminary round was behind a screen, which was a new experience for me: to play a solo with piano without a visible audience. But hey, it meant that I could tap my foot without anyone noticing, so that’s a plus☺ So once I resolved that my performance wouldn’t win me first place, I started packing up, hoping that Mary and I could hit the road on Tuesday afternoon. Unexpectedly, I won second place!! I was pretty surprised and delighted! The prize money will cancel out the entrance fee I had to pay to compete, and I can put the placement on my resume. Hooray! Now I need to enter more competitions…
After a long trip home, and a late arrival in Bloomington, I spent the next two days resting and getting ready for my next big trip. It was tough to pack for two months in Colorado, especially since I didn’t know what to expect in terms of weather. But I did my best and brought way too much stuff. ☺ I drove for about 12 hours on Friday, which included a 60 minute shopping break in Target, and spent the night in Salina, Kansas. Let me tell you, a hotel room has never been so rewarding! I scored a king size bed, threw my stuff wherever I wanted, and watched TV in bed. Needless to say, I slept real well that night.
Proof I drove Kansas.
Saturday morning I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes first thing to make sure my legs were still functioning after the car ride. They were. Boy, did that treadmill feel strange though. I haven’t run on one of those in years. I was sure I would fall while I was looking at myself in the mirror. (Its not every day I get to see myself running!) Well I didn’t fall, but I did experience a minor disaster a little while later: I locked my keys in my trunk. 30 minutes and 60 bucks later, I was back on track, although a bit behind schedule.
The drive to Denver wasn’t too bad because a night of rest separated me from the other half of Kansas (as Bill and I found out back in March, driving the entire length of Kansas in one day is not for the faint of heart!). Plus I had lunch with Erin to look forward to! I met her at Cheesecake Factory (a family favorite) and we had a great time sitting on the terrace in downtown Denver. What a cool city! I could definitely live there.
After my visit with Erin, only one thing stood between Aspen and I: the Rocky Mountains. As I set out on my final leg, a little red flag went up in my mind. I had been hearing an intermittent rumbling engine sound since just before Denver, and it was back. That combined with my car’s sudden inability to accelerate normally up hills made me worried, because I knew I had a bunch of “hills” ahead! I filled my gas tank and called Dad, who advised that I get it looked at. So I took my car to Wal-Mart (thank goodness they were still open at 6pm on a Saturday night!), and the guys that helped me there were great! To make a long story short, I was completely out of oil and they suspected that my car was having trouble adjusting to the altitude change. (To which I said “Well, I feel fine!” and J.D. said, “your car’s computer isn’t as advanced as yours!”) They fed my car 3 quarts of oil and I was on my way. Luckily the noise was gone. I crawled into Aspen at 10pm (mountain time), and I was ready to pass out! The residence director gave me my key and showed me to my place. Soon after, my roommate arrived. Her name is Kathleen and she is a flute player from Virginia. We spent a little while getting to know each other and unpacking before we turned it in. I was soooooo tired!
This is the outside of our dorms
This morning we met the other Res Life staff and loaded pillows/blankets into the students' rooms. Following that, we took a tour of Aspen. It's so amazing! It's a cozy little town set in a beautiful landscape. I was overwhelmed. Plus the campus, dorms, and performance hall are spread out within Apsen. I'm going to have to learn how to get everywhere myself. Here are some pics that I took on a walk this afternoon with Kathleen.
After taking two days off and ascending in altitude, my playing is a bit out of whack today. This RA staff is great: they all need time to practice, so it is built into the schedule. We all need to practice during the day, so we do! It wasn't feeling too great to play much today, so I didn't. I take the advice of Peter Ellefson: "take your time getting back to the horn." No problem, Pete!
Because of the altitude, I also have to wait a few days to run :( The walk was enough for today. It wiped me out!
Sorry for the gap between posts! I will do my best to update more often!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Bonjour from Toronto!
We made it! The drive from Bloomington to Toronto took about 10 hours, with an hour or so extra for food breaks. Mary was an excellent co-pilot; I never got sleepy once! I did eat my first McDonalds hamburger in yeeeears though. And I have to say, it wasn’t too bad. I got one of the fancy Angus burgers, which cost like $6.00 Canadian monies. The bun was some sort of ciabatta roll. In fact the entire menu at the Canadian McDondalds looked different, kind of like they took the McDonalds name and did what they wanted with the products. Anyway…
Crossing the border into Canada was quite simple after we navigated through the detour. (My GPS wasn’t taking us the right way, and I must have made about 6 U-turns, not kidding). There wasn’t a line, and the dude just asked us how long wed be there, why we were there, and if we had anything besides personal belongings. I almost blurted “We have a trombone and a tuba!” but I managed to restrain myself. All in all, it took about 1 minute to cross the border. We noticed, however, that the Canada to US line was about 2 miles long…we are hoping that we don’t have to deal with that on the way back!
We visited the Canadian welcome center, where they gave us a map of Toronto, directions, and $ exchange. For some reason, I didn’t think to bring more than $10, so I didn’t have any money to exchange. I’ll just have to use my visa card to buy food and stuff. Then we left the little border town of Windsor and headed “up the coast” to Toronto. I was surprised, the country side was just as barren as Kansas! It was super flat, and the highway exits didn’t have food or fuel to offer from what we could see. We were getting real hungry for dinner, so that’s one of the reasons we settled for McDonalds-it was the first thing that appeared out of the empty lands. (I bet they planned it that way.)
Once we got to Humber College, on the west end of Toronto, we were very ready to get out of the car! I get pretty sore from long car rides, so I couldn’t wait to walk around. We ran into Ericka and Katherine, the other two ladies from IU, and checked into our rooms. The accommodations ended up being pretty nice- I have my own bedroom, and it is connected to a common room with a little kitchenette and a bath. Ericka’s room is off of the kitchen. I wish I had something like this when I was living on campus!!
I opted not to play yesterday morning before we left because I wanted to try and take about 24 hours off the horn, and I was sure glad that I did!! We all went to the practice modules after finding our rooms, and I took a nice long warm up. It felt great. The fatigue that had been building up in my face over the past week or so was gone. Yay for a day off!!
Sadly, my Ethernet cable that I brought from home doesn’t work, so I have limited internet access, meaning I can use the internet when Ericka lets me borrow her cord. I could buy another cord, but it’s really not worth $10 to have a cord for a few days, since I don’t need it at home. My mission this morning is to get a password for the building’s wireless network so I can use it down in the lobby. I tried last night and the student behind the desk didn’t know what I was talking about- sorry, “aboot.” ☺
Today’s activities include finding breakfast and a grocery store, going for a run, warming up, and rehearsing with my accompanist at 4:30. It’s a pretty easy day.
Crossing the border into Canada was quite simple after we navigated through the detour. (My GPS wasn’t taking us the right way, and I must have made about 6 U-turns, not kidding). There wasn’t a line, and the dude just asked us how long wed be there, why we were there, and if we had anything besides personal belongings. I almost blurted “We have a trombone and a tuba!” but I managed to restrain myself. All in all, it took about 1 minute to cross the border. We noticed, however, that the Canada to US line was about 2 miles long…we are hoping that we don’t have to deal with that on the way back!
We visited the Canadian welcome center, where they gave us a map of Toronto, directions, and $ exchange. For some reason, I didn’t think to bring more than $10, so I didn’t have any money to exchange. I’ll just have to use my visa card to buy food and stuff. Then we left the little border town of Windsor and headed “up the coast” to Toronto. I was surprised, the country side was just as barren as Kansas! It was super flat, and the highway exits didn’t have food or fuel to offer from what we could see. We were getting real hungry for dinner, so that’s one of the reasons we settled for McDonalds-it was the first thing that appeared out of the empty lands. (I bet they planned it that way.)
Once we got to Humber College, on the west end of Toronto, we were very ready to get out of the car! I get pretty sore from long car rides, so I couldn’t wait to walk around. We ran into Ericka and Katherine, the other two ladies from IU, and checked into our rooms. The accommodations ended up being pretty nice- I have my own bedroom, and it is connected to a common room with a little kitchenette and a bath. Ericka’s room is off of the kitchen. I wish I had something like this when I was living on campus!!
I opted not to play yesterday morning before we left because I wanted to try and take about 24 hours off the horn, and I was sure glad that I did!! We all went to the practice modules after finding our rooms, and I took a nice long warm up. It felt great. The fatigue that had been building up in my face over the past week or so was gone. Yay for a day off!!
Sadly, my Ethernet cable that I brought from home doesn’t work, so I have limited internet access, meaning I can use the internet when Ericka lets me borrow her cord. I could buy another cord, but it’s really not worth $10 to have a cord for a few days, since I don’t need it at home. My mission this morning is to get a password for the building’s wireless network so I can use it down in the lobby. I tried last night and the student behind the desk didn’t know what I was talking about- sorry, “aboot.” ☺
Today’s activities include finding breakfast and a grocery store, going for a run, warming up, and rehearsing with my accompanist at 4:30. It’s a pretty easy day.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Rounding the corner
The IWBC is just a few days away! Mary, Ericka and I gave a preview concert last night, and it went over very well. I think we were all glad to have a dress run of our competition material. I listened to the recording, and heard a lot of little things that I can improve. I also got some good input from John and Pete. Thanks to everyone who came to the recital!
Running-I guess it's not a good idea to take off 3 days in a row! I didn't run Mon-Wed, and these past two days have been rough! Sometimes it's hard to find a good route from my place on 17th street, so I am definitely looking forward to a change of scenery in Aspen. Alan Page, an IU alum, told me that the hiking and running in Aspen is fantastic! He went there a few years ago. I can't wait!
Running-I guess it's not a good idea to take off 3 days in a row! I didn't run Mon-Wed, and these past two days have been rough! Sometimes it's hard to find a good route from my place on 17th street, so I am definitely looking forward to a change of scenery in Aspen. Alan Page, an IU alum, told me that the hiking and running in Aspen is fantastic! He went there a few years ago. I can't wait!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday Runday
Ironically, The Cadets always called it "No-Runday Sunday"...which meant we ran every other day of the week...:D
http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/in/bloomington/627127585264551530
Just took a nice mid-afternoon run through downtown, via the B-Line (4.5). It was a nice day to opt for a 2PM run; 75, sunny/partly cloudy, 55% humidity. I was able to keep a decent pace for the first half for sure, but when I turned around I hit a head wind. Which, I found out when it stopped, was a blessing and a curse at once. Overall, the run felt better than most runs lately, which could be attributed to the time of day, or my day off yesterday...or anything else;)
Yesterday I practiced quiet a bit, working on the feeling of freedom and ease in my body while I play. Two days until the Ft. Wayne Sublist audition, 3 days til my rehearsal with Kim, and 4 days until my recital with Ericka and Mary. My face feels good and strong, which should indicate that I am taking care of myself. I really want to do well at the IWBC! Back to work!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/in/bloomington/627127585264551530
Just took a nice mid-afternoon run through downtown, via the B-Line (4.5). It was a nice day to opt for a 2PM run; 75, sunny/partly cloudy, 55% humidity. I was able to keep a decent pace for the first half for sure, but when I turned around I hit a head wind. Which, I found out when it stopped, was a blessing and a curse at once. Overall, the run felt better than most runs lately, which could be attributed to the time of day, or my day off yesterday...or anything else;)
Yesterday I practiced quiet a bit, working on the feeling of freedom and ease in my body while I play. Two days until the Ft. Wayne Sublist audition, 3 days til my rehearsal with Kim, and 4 days until my recital with Ericka and Mary. My face feels good and strong, which should indicate that I am taking care of myself. I really want to do well at the IWBC! Back to work!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Barbeque and a novel idea
I had my first (ever?) tofurkey sausage today at Sean's inaugural gathering on his new porch. It was pretty tasty! No run today, but we are planning out run for tomorrow-a long one I think. Our idea was to bring my camera on my runs so I could post pictures from my various travels. As soon as I devise a clever camera carrier, the posting will commence.
Continuing my work on the IWBC (International Womens Brass Conference) competition material. I have a recital with the other IU ladies on Thursday 6/10 at 6PM in MA454. We are all playing our competition rep. Come listen if you live nearby! Also getting ready for a Fort Wayne sub list audition on Tuesday 6/8.
Today I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on microwaveables for Aspen. It was so much fun! I did it because A) I love shopping at Trader Joe's and B) I've heard from multiple sources that the grocery stores and eateries in Aspen are mucho-expensivo. Even though I have a meal plan, I'm bringing my own pantry to break things up.
Long run tomorrow!
Continuing my work on the IWBC (International Womens Brass Conference) competition material. I have a recital with the other IU ladies on Thursday 6/10 at 6PM in MA454. We are all playing our competition rep. Come listen if you live nearby! Also getting ready for a Fort Wayne sub list audition on Tuesday 6/8.
Today I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on microwaveables for Aspen. It was so much fun! I did it because A) I love shopping at Trader Joe's and B) I've heard from multiple sources that the grocery stores and eateries in Aspen are mucho-expensivo. Even though I have a meal plan, I'm bringing my own pantry to break things up.
Long run tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
another unavoidable bad idea
Noon run today at Bryan Park. Is it possible to go backwards? Both in my training progress and in actually running? Needless to say, it was not easy. 3.5
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