So far in G I have a variety of favorite things, but I think I may have discovered my favorite favorite thing yesterday.
I have been looking for a good place to go running in this town. I can't just go out my front door and go from there- this town doesn't work that way. The sidewalks are too tiny and crowded in the center of town (where I am lucky enough to live) and the cobblestone streets are a little too conducive to sprained ankles.
MP clued me into this ramp near my house (this town is made out of stairs and ramps, it's all based on different levels due to the whole city being built into the mountains), that if I just walk up it, and keep walking up, I can get to the Panoramic Highway pretty quickly. She claimed 5 minutes, but let's face it, she's in better shape than I
. 10 minutes isn't bad though, and it's a good warm up.
So I got up there, stretched a bit, and took off. I headed toward the hospital, as MP had suggested, and then ran through the parking lot and followed the dirt road to "la bufa" (not like the opera, music nerds, it's just what the call this place up in the mountains here). By the time I got there I was pretty worn out (that darn altitude...arrgh!) but I kept going a bit further, luckily.
La Bufa is like the opening of the Sound of Music, except a little browner, and warmer, I would imagine. And a bit more trash, I guess. But once you've lived in Mexico for awhile you stop noticing the trash.
But truly, it is so beautiful and peaceful up there. The air feels amazing and you just feel that the world is yours, up there looking out over wide open spaces. I went at about 6:30 and the sun was just starting to go down. The light against the hills was perfect, and ever-changing. I think if I go up there four times a week I will never again be in a bad mood. Then, as icing on the cake, as I walked back down it was just getting dark, and the lights in the houses sparkled in just a way that you almost think they're candles, like Whoville from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or something.
Some of my other favorite things include that it takes only 1 hour for my laundry to dry, my 43 second "commute" to work, my eccentric and very sweet horn students, that we are playing a Brahms Serenade in a few weeks, and how tourists ask me when I'm around the theater..."Ingles? Oh, good, do you know about events here? Blah blah blah..." (I'm sure this will get old real fast, but for the present it makes me feel special.)
My favorite things do not include today's breakfast experience. I was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal, forcing it down as I wasn't really hungry anyway but knew I had to eat something before rehearsal. I hadn't even had coffee yet when this happened. One of the cats, "Castro" creeped up to the counter right next to the table. I glanced over and he started gagging, more of a dry-heaving actually. I had about four seconds to think, "what in the world..." and then he proceeded to throw up all over the counter. I literally ran to the other side of the kitchen and dumped out my bowl of cereal. Awesome.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Cleaning House, Or Just the Third Floor
I realize that in the last 1...2...3...4...5...months I've been pretty ambiguous on the logisitics of my situation. Just little hints dropped in various posts and side-bars. So I guess it's time I come clean.
In October 2007 I quit the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and headed out on what ended up being a 10-week spree of freelancing in various orchestras in Mexico (and one in the States). I lived out of my suitcase, met a TON of musicians, saw many different parts of this amazing country, and drank a lot, I mean A LOT, of cappuccinos of various quality out of paper cups.
My last "gig" turned into my current "job", here in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. They needed a third horn player, I showed up, played a week, and then they asked me to stay, at least for six months for now. So, I got the job, and then we went on vacation for two months. That was pretty cool. :)
I headed back to the frosty north, and spent about a month and a half there, just long enough for me to begin to imagine the positives of life in the USA again. But, always faithful to the orchestra, I came back here a few weeks ago to settle into my new job, new climate, new home, new life!
So far, so good. It is FANTASTIC to have a job playing high horn, as I can take the drastic improvements I've made in that area in the last year and really put them into use. I feel for the first time in my life that playing high notes is not especially scary or difficult, but is rather just like playing the rest of the notes. The horn is actually beginning to feel easy, and I find it's the music that's difficult, not the instrument. Now that, that is fun.
The climate here is perfect. At least so far. But it was perfect before too, and people say it doesn't change much. It's like heaven compared to Y...
The home is lovely as well. I'm renting the third floor of a house one block away from the theater, and right downtown. So the location is perfect, and I really like the space (below is my bedroom and my balcony!)
And the view from my balcony!
Of course the best part is drinking my own homemade coffee from my own favorite Nissan mug. That's probably what I missed most when I was "on the road"!
As far as my new life...well, I don't really have one yet. I mean, aside from rehearsal, I don't really do anything, and it feels pretty bizarre after running around the country for two months, and then running around MN for two more months. My days are basically pretty empty and I'm not sure what to do with myself.
I've found that I'm filling my time with this one huge question: how can I get better at the horn?? I've made a lot of leaps in the last few years, but I want to make quite a few more. I finally have an embouchure that works, a mouthpiece I love, and at least an order in for the horn I want. It's pretty much all on me now. I'm doing a lot of reading, listening, reviewing of old information, and processing. I'm hoping it all comes out the bell sooner or later! I've also become aware of some of the major things that have held me back so far and had some breakthroughs regarding that. But I think I'll save that for another post...
Alright chicos and chicas, I hope that answers all your questions. I'm going to try to be better with the pictures, but I make no promises.
In October 2007 I quit the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and headed out on what ended up being a 10-week spree of freelancing in various orchestras in Mexico (and one in the States). I lived out of my suitcase, met a TON of musicians, saw many different parts of this amazing country, and drank a lot, I mean A LOT, of cappuccinos of various quality out of paper cups.
My last "gig" turned into my current "job", here in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. They needed a third horn player, I showed up, played a week, and then they asked me to stay, at least for six months for now. So, I got the job, and then we went on vacation for two months. That was pretty cool. :)
I headed back to the frosty north, and spent about a month and a half there, just long enough for me to begin to imagine the positives of life in the USA again. But, always faithful to the orchestra, I came back here a few weeks ago to settle into my new job, new climate, new home, new life!
So far, so good. It is FANTASTIC to have a job playing high horn, as I can take the drastic improvements I've made in that area in the last year and really put them into use. I feel for the first time in my life that playing high notes is not especially scary or difficult, but is rather just like playing the rest of the notes. The horn is actually beginning to feel easy, and I find it's the music that's difficult, not the instrument. Now that, that is fun.
The climate here is perfect. At least so far. But it was perfect before too, and people say it doesn't change much. It's like heaven compared to Y...
The home is lovely as well. I'm renting the third floor of a house one block away from the theater, and right downtown. So the location is perfect, and I really like the space (below is my bedroom and my balcony!)
And the view from my balcony!
Of course the best part is drinking my own homemade coffee from my own favorite Nissan mug. That's probably what I missed most when I was "on the road"!
As far as my new life...well, I don't really have one yet. I mean, aside from rehearsal, I don't really do anything, and it feels pretty bizarre after running around the country for two months, and then running around MN for two more months. My days are basically pretty empty and I'm not sure what to do with myself.
I've found that I'm filling my time with this one huge question: how can I get better at the horn?? I've made a lot of leaps in the last few years, but I want to make quite a few more. I finally have an embouchure that works, a mouthpiece I love, and at least an order in for the horn I want. It's pretty much all on me now. I'm doing a lot of reading, listening, reviewing of old information, and processing. I'm hoping it all comes out the bell sooner or later! I've also become aware of some of the major things that have held me back so far and had some breakthroughs regarding that. But I think I'll save that for another post...
Alright chicos and chicas, I hope that answers all your questions. I'm going to try to be better with the pictures, but I make no promises.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Cats and Cat-Like Things
I've never lived with cats before, in fact I was always was under the impression that I was allergic to them. I probably still am, but since there is no carpet in this house and they never come upstairs (where I spend the majority of my time), it's not a problem. Still, it's going to take me quite a while to get used to seeing them on the stairs (still startles me every time) and on the kitchen counter (I try to use language to tell them to move and it never works so then I groan and push them off...)
There is this guy in the trombones that keeps meow-ing while we rehearse these absurd pops pieces. I try not to laugh, to maintain a professional demeanor. It really shouldn't be that funny anyway, right?! I don't know what it is, it must be the timing, but every time he does it I just cannot contain the giggles.
So far, this orchestra seems a lot less catty than my previous one, but I'm sure it's just because I'm still new. But they at least talk about work a lot less, which is refreshing.
Because the door in our house is a little strange and doesn't always close like it should, J doesn't feel comfortable giving a key to the house cleaner. Since someone's not always home when she comes to clean, they've found the next best solution: when she finishes cleaning the house next door, she just jumps over from their balcony to ours, cat-style, and goes in through the upstairs, naturally! (Only in this crazy town!)
There is this guy in the trombones that keeps meow-ing while we rehearse these absurd pops pieces. I try not to laugh, to maintain a professional demeanor. It really shouldn't be that funny anyway, right?! I don't know what it is, it must be the timing, but every time he does it I just cannot contain the giggles.
So far, this orchestra seems a lot less catty than my previous one, but I'm sure it's just because I'm still new. But they at least talk about work a lot less, which is refreshing.
Because the door in our house is a little strange and doesn't always close like it should, J doesn't feel comfortable giving a key to the house cleaner. Since someone's not always home when she comes to clean, they've found the next best solution: when she finishes cleaning the house next door, she just jumps over from their balcony to ours, cat-style, and goes in through the upstairs, naturally! (Only in this crazy town!)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sicker Than Sicker Than a Dog
Tuesday night I began to feel ill and by Wednesday afternoon it was like a truck had run me over. I was hobbling around moaning to myself and wondering how I was going to get through the 7 hour recording sessions the next day.
Luckily it never came to that because I was so sick I got out of it. I think I probably would have fainted on stage anyway.
It was pretty much the absolute worst time to get sick, on my third day in a new job and new city, hence, no one to really help me out. At least a clinic and a pharmacy are all within 5 minutes, walking.
The worst is over and I'm beginning to see what resembles my old self again. I'm even feeling optimistic.
The Good Things About Being So Sick You Can't Get Out of Bed For Four Days:
1. You have plenty of time to watch some movies you've been meaning to see that find in your new roommate's den like The Holiday and The Graduate and review all your old favorites like Moulin Rouge, The Sound of Music, Clueless, and Sex and the City, Season 4. Let's face it, you can't do much else.
2. You don't have to do dishes because you don't have to cook because you don't have to eat because you have ZERO APPETITE.
3. You lose 15 pounds because of number 2.
4. You're new roommate makes you amazing chicken soup for when you start to turn the corner.
5. When you come out of the stupor, you feel like making a fresh start.
6. When you come out of the stupor, you appreciate the important things, and find it easier to shake off the not-so ones.
7. When you go back to playing the horn, you really appreciate your new embouchure change all over again.
8. Meryl Streep was right when she said the secret to great hair is not washing it too much.
I'm still definitely under the weather, but at least I'm out from under the truck.
Luckily it never came to that because I was so sick I got out of it. I think I probably would have fainted on stage anyway.
It was pretty much the absolute worst time to get sick, on my third day in a new job and new city, hence, no one to really help me out. At least a clinic and a pharmacy are all within 5 minutes, walking.
The worst is over and I'm beginning to see what resembles my old self again. I'm even feeling optimistic.
The Good Things About Being So Sick You Can't Get Out of Bed For Four Days:
1. You have plenty of time to watch some movies you've been meaning to see that find in your new roommate's den like The Holiday and The Graduate and review all your old favorites like Moulin Rouge, The Sound of Music, Clueless, and Sex and the City, Season 4. Let's face it, you can't do much else.
2. You don't have to do dishes because you don't have to cook because you don't have to eat because you have ZERO APPETITE.
3. You lose 15 pounds because of number 2.
4. You're new roommate makes you amazing chicken soup for when you start to turn the corner.
5. When you come out of the stupor, you feel like making a fresh start.
6. When you come out of the stupor, you appreciate the important things, and find it easier to shake off the not-so ones.
7. When you go back to playing the horn, you really appreciate your new embouchure change all over again.
8. Meryl Streep was right when she said the secret to great hair is not washing it too much.
I'm still definitely under the weather, but at least I'm out from under the truck.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
If You Like Me, You Will Love My Friends
This post isn't about me (imagine that!). This post is about two friends and two assignments for you.
The first assignment is to voted for AD at
You could spend hours reviewing the episodes online, or you could just trust me that she's the foxiest one on the show, no contest, and take one minute to vote.
The second assignment is to check out:
http://politicontrabajista.blogspot.com
This guy posts way more on his blog than I do, so you can use it as a substitute when your really craving C de C. I like his politics, and he makes the best videos.
I am enjoying starting a new life in G...but I haven't come up with a good blog title for all that yet, so you'll just have to guess the details. :)
The first assignment is to voted for AD at
www.americashotmusician.org/Voting.html
All you have to do is send an email to amber@americashotmusician.org and include your name and phone number in the email.You could spend hours reviewing the episodes online, or you could just trust me that she's the foxiest one on the show, no contest, and take one minute to vote.
The second assignment is to check out:
http://politicontrabajista.blogspot.com
This guy posts way more on his blog than I do, so you can use it as a substitute when your really craving C de C. I like his politics, and he makes the best videos.
I am enjoying starting a new life in G...but I haven't come up with a good blog title for all that yet, so you'll just have to guess the details. :)
Saturday, February 02, 2008
The Clincher
I've been vacillating between two very enticing Democratic candidates for awhile, leaning towards one lately, and now, after reading this, I've definitely made my decision and gone the way of my leaning.
So there, I'm done vacillating.
So there, I'm done vacillating.
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