Long Awaited Update

The end of school has finally come, and my life has finally gone to a much less busy pace.

1. End of School Year: My final stuff included playing for a chamber music recital. The violist in my quartet, Emily, had her DMA chamber recital, and although it was her recital, it was quite a stressful event for me as well. I did the B-flat Mozart duo with her and then my group from the semester did Brahms a minor. Woah. It went really well though - Peter was VERY happy - although he did say that he wished my solo playing had gone farther this year. I really can't wait till the day arrives when I don't have to practice concertos anymore. I throw myself so much better into chamber music than concertos. I also played for the BU President's gala a few days after the recital, with an AMAZING free dinner to boot. Yum.

2. Rochester Visit: Last weekend I rented a car and drove from Boston to Rochester for Sara's recital. First, renting a car is a LOVELY experience. I loved driving, I loved being able to bond with the road, and it was such a quick trip - only 6 hours. By train it takes twice as long. I got to drive through the Berkshires, and wave to the exit where Tanglewood is. I arrived in Rochacha at about 4:30 on Friday, had a quick rehearsal with the gang, hung out and rehearsed on Saturday (including a lovely walk with David to the Eastman House - we sat on the porch rocking chairs - it was such a beautiful day), played the recital, and Sunday morning I left for Boston. It went by too fast, and I forgot how much I missed Eastman and everyone there. It was SO good to see David, Brian, Hannah, Sara, Marisol, Arthur, Stanley, etc etc etc etc. They all love and understand me so well. Sara's recital was simply incredible - she sounds absolutely fantastic. It was an honor to play for her. (Kim, Mary, Paul, Kitty, and others - you were sorely missed!)

3. Now: Since Monday, I haven't done much. I've babysat a bunch, and do more of that later this week. A week from tomorrow I go home for about a week to see the fam, which I am looking forward to. My summer plans are simple: relax, practice (I need to fix my intonation once and for all), and make money. I possibly have a part-time job teaching English as a second language, a whole bunch of gigs here and there, teaching two students on Saturdays, babysitting, and enjoying my break. This summer is officially my break from schedules and summer music festivals. I plan on going to TMC often to visit David and Brian and other folks there, and will go to Phoenix for 4th of July to visit Holly and see Hannah, who is also coming.

Now I will go shower, grab my violin, and head to BU. I also plan on a trip to Barnes and Noble today - I have a gift card that is calling my name, and with so much more free time for awhile for the first time since I was about 12, books are the name of the game. Now all I need is a porch on my apartment - too bad I don't have that. Oh well.