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!
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