Another Semester Over

I finished my fifth and final paper today at noon. It was due at 12:30. The Procrastination of Heather once again worked a miracle! And I don't think its half bad either. I got A's on the first two I handed in last Friday. Hurray!

NOW, I can finally enjoy Christmas. NOW I can actually go shopping (have not bought ONE gift - except my dad's iphone with my sisters, but that was August and I didn't shop for it), walk around, enjoy friends and family. However, all of that mentioned will have to be enjoyed in Milwaukee, including Milwaukee friends and Milwaukee family, in the few days before the 25th hits, like normal. I leave tomorrow at 7:20 am for home. I hate having the end of the semester in December. It just seems wrong.

On to the one thing I can enjoy before leaving Boston - Emily (violist) is having a chamber music reading party tonight. I will go to that, come home late, pack, get a couple hours of sleep (last night was around 5) and head out the door at 4:50 AM! Whoo-hoo!

Snow Day!

This morning could have been really painful. I got home from a party last night around 2, and needed to wake up at 7 for a gig at 9 forty minutes away. I did get up at 7, looked outside, and almost fainted - I couldn't see across the street, it was snowing so hard. And I had to take the B line to Chestnut Hill, walk to the D line (about four blocks), take the D line inbound to Brookline Village, and wait for my ride. But I was good - I took a shower, put on tights, two pairs of socks, pants, two sweaters, and was about to start looking for a second scarf when my phone rang and my gig was CANCELED! It has been rescheduled for Jan 12, so I will get the money someday.

Now I'm drinking hot chocolate, enjoying my free morning. I'm done with paper 3, so only two more to go! I will head to library when it calms down outside a bit and finish paper 4, so that paper 5 will be all thats left!

Papers

Done with 2 out of 5! Moving right along.....

The blizzard yesterday left us with over 6 in of snow, covering Boston beautifully. It was a PAIN yesterday to walk back and forth from jury to CFA to library, all while snowing quite heavily, but I somehow made it. I love snow.......we're expected to get another Nor'easterner (sp??? check Boston weather channels for correct spelling) Sunday morning, which was the final decision for Molly to change her plane ticket to Indy from Sunday EARLY morning to tomorrow. I'll be home next Thursday for Braun family fun! Which includes a LOT of euchre....yay!

Molly and I had Chinese last night.

This was my fortune cookie:

"Vacation can wait. Start your projects now."

Even the Chinese fortune cookie gods are telling me to get my papers done.

I'm seriously procrastinating again.

Molly is about to yell at me (she's a good girl - next to me writing her paper).

AGHGHGHGGHGHGHGGHH!

Procrastination

I am sadly procrastinating at the moment. I turned pages for Molly this morning for a recital permission, and now, with 4 hours before my lesson, I should be practicing like mad, but I really. Am not. In the mood.

Things have been ok. Thanksgiving was very pleasant at Heidi's as always. This was my 6th one there - every year since I started college. Whit made a fabulous dinner, and then we all made strips of construction paper listing twenty things we're thankful for. Then we linked all the strips together to make a paper chain, and it is all different colors and really beautiful. It was a nice thing to do.

I'm auditioning for the Britten-Pears orchestra next Wednesday at NEC. This was a VERY last minute, quick application decision, but if I get in and it worked out, I would be going to England to perform! I need to do something this summer, and CCE looks like it might have a mini-reunion as well, in California. It always amazes me how much time and energy throughout the year musicians spend on music festivals. We have to apply usually by December, do auditions in the winter, make a choice in the spring, attend them in the summer, and by October (only a little of a month after summer) the cycle of "what will I do next summer?" returns again. As much as I enjoyed and appreciated last summer off, the musical-festival-itch has returned.

Last week had a sentimental and emotional moment. I decided to order Papa Johns pizza for the first time since Eastman. I logged into my account, and had to update all my info - address, phone number, etc. Everything was still listed as the Eastman dorm, including my dorm phone number. All those nights of sausage with half mushroom pizzas, sitting on Mary's floor eating, came flying back.

Also, Kimby looked FANTASTIC last week on Stacey London's Fashionably Late! Whoo-hoo Kimby! You're a star!

Ok. Brahms is calling my name. I can hear him. Good lord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for all of you!!!!!

Craig Smith

The last entry was about birth. This one is about death. The cycle of life continues.

Craig Smith, the founder of Emmanuel Music in Boston (the only church in North America to play a Bach cantata EVERY Sunday) died last night at the age of 60. He had diabetes, and had been in declining health for awhile. I had to do emergency babysitting tonight for Adelaide since my sister needed to go to a gathering of his friends and colleagues tonight, and Whit had BPO. She's been a part of Emmanuel for 10 years now, and knew Craig very well. David Hoose and him were very close friends, and he almost cried in orchestra today (as well as was the person to first tell me).

I only worked with Craig twice last year, while playing at Emmanuel on Sundays. I am so happy to have had that opportunity. The Boston music community and the music world has had a great loss.

Emily Ruth Keener

She's here! And absolutely beautiful!

Congrats, Mary and Daniel!

My parents just left. Always sad to see them go - we had such a good time!

Now back to real life and actually having to spend MY money on food instead of them taking me out. Bummer.

Mary, I am thinking of you and praying hard! Good luck tonight at 10 pm to you and Daniel. I can't wait to hear about how beautiful Emily is!

My parents are coming tomorrow.

I am sick. Sick sick sick. I just chugged some dayquil, and let me tell you - it was gross.

All those within 3,000 miles are required to attend tomorrow night's performance of:

Grieg String Quartet, Op. 27
Performed by:
Heather Braun, violin
Tatiana Daubek, violin
Alyssa Hardie, viola
Nick Hardie, cello

In the flyers we are called the "Student String Quartet", because everyone else performing is faculty. We are all blond in this group. How fitting for four blondes to play a Scandanavian composer!

It has been quite some time again since I've written here, but there is nothing of news or anything even remotely interesting going on in my life right now.

I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed.

Reunion in Houston

I'm going to Houston Jan. 3rd - 7th.

David and I expect others to join us if possible.

Thank you.

Vermont Withdrawal, Mac issues, Fortune Cookie?

I am back in Boston from Vermont since Sunday night, and am having serious withdrawal problems.

This was one of the most fun tours I've had in awhile. We spent the whole week in Vermont, had bbq, made dinners together, drank wine, talked, laughed, played great music, etc etc etc. I miss it dreadfully, especially since today was one of those stupid BU Monday's since yesterday we had no school so today was a Monday schedule. Meaning orchestra. Meaning orchestra AGAIN tomorrow. YUCK YUCK YUCK. Vermont was so beautiful - the trees were simply incredible, there is nothing else like it. The air is so clean and fresh, and everything seems so much more peaceful. I love the city, but someday I'm buying a house in Vermont. (HA! Yeah right. If I ever leave school first.)

If I could ever take the time to figure out my camera with my computer, I would put pictures up on facebook. I'm just so scared though that once I hook up my camera, my computer will explode. Just give up and die in a show of sparks and smoke. It has been acting slower and slower lately - my trusty iMac, though it still NEVER freezes (ok, except that one time in Eastman dorm with some burned CD and I was having a literal heart attack right there and then and almost passed out on the floor, with David and Mary feeling no sympathy and only laughing at me) is quite the old apple these days. Five years. Thats a long time. I don't want to get rid of it yet, not to mention I have NO money for a new computer right now. Maybe I'll ask the family to contribute funds toward it for birthday and Christmas instead of presents. Hmm....must ponder that one.

Molly and I went to Chinese for lunch today and my forture cookie said that something big was awaiting me today. Specifically today. Its now 10 pm, and nothing has really happened.

Did I mention that I really miss Vermont?

1. I am in Manchester Vermont. It is like a vacation. It is a beautiful fall here with the green mountains changing from being green to being orange, red, yellow, and everything in between.

2. I have heard enough discussions about oral sex while here to last me for the rest of my life. Good lord.

3. Its too hot here, too. Today was 80. Its VERMONT in OCTOBER!

4. I played a volleyball game today for the first time since freshman (high school) team tryouts.

5. I don't want to go back to school on Sunday. Can I just stay here, please?

This will be fast, I have class with Sheveloff in 7 minutes.

School has officially settled in and become crazy once again. My chamber music group is doing Grieg Quartet for the Grieg festival here at BU on Nov. 8th - its a big honor that we were asked, and I'm VERY excited.

I leave for Manchester Tour (my FIFTH!!!!) on Sunday afternoon. I have to race back to Boston on Tuesday afternoon for the orchestra concert that night, then leave at 6 am on Wednesday morning to get BACK to Vermont early enough for 10 am rehearsal. Thankfully, Tatiana, who is the other violinist in my quartet now and who was at Manchester with me in 2004, is also doing the tour and has to come back for the BU concert. And she has a car. Thank heavens, otherwise I'd have to rent one and THAT would be expensive.

It is TOO hot here.

My craziness on the first weekend of December (see previous post) has subsided, not exactly the way I wanted to, but alas, I cannot do everything. I had to get out of a big quartet gig because of Molly's recital and the dress rehearsal for the orchestra concert in Symphony Hall, but its good that I did, because two days later I got asked to sit concertmaster for that concert. I will be poorer, but I guess I AM a student. Sometimes it still really stinks to be a student.

However, I do love being a student with Peter! I've had two lessons EVERY week and am progressing well. Brahms is coming along. I love it.

I must go now and listen to Schubert lieder.

Today was another one of those blow up days, where it seems like nothing else could go wrong, and then does. I hate these kind of days.

December 1st-2nd is looking to be like the weekend from hell. Somehow, EVERYTHING has been scheduled that weekend. AND ITS ONLY SEPTEMBER! How did this happen???? I now have to figure out a way to make everyone happy, which is impossible. Good grief.

Its cold suddenly, in Boston. It was even cold in southern Indiana this past weekend. The wedding went so well - all my grandmother's four children and their spouses, plus 10 out of 12 grandkids, plus 2 out of 3 great-grandbabies were there - she was supremely happy, strutting like a mother hen with us all following her to a pew in church Sunday morning. I hadn't been to that part of Indiana since I was 16 - crazy how fast the past 7 years have gone. Of course, the best part was seeing my parents and Holly and Hannah. Christmas cannot come fast enough.

Interesting Day

First, I got up at 7 (a rarity) and successfully made it out the door around 8:15. As Molly and I walked to the train stop, we heard one coming, so started to run. About halfway there, I tripped, and fell BADLY on my left knee. Everything went in slow motion as I was falling, and a bit of my life did flash before my eyes, PLUS my violin was strapped to my back and this is my NEWLY ADJUSTED violin which I'm sure is now all messed up again.

I digress. My palms were a little sore, but not bad. My knee however, is a bloody mess, AND the knee in my jeans now has a hole. (sigh) Now both of my jeans has holes. I need new jeans. My ego was badly bruised, as there were a ton of people around. It was incredibly embarrasing. Incredibly. I got to school and cleaned myself up. I was very woe-is-me all morning It hurts when I bend it.

Then, I practiced, which went well. Brahms concerto is coming along. Had a nice lesson at 11, with Peter, who has now scheduled THREE lessons for next week. Good lord. I was information overload as it is today with just an hour with him. Its going to be three next week? I should actually be happy, and stop complaining - at Eastman I never got enough lessons (second semester senior year I think I had 9, and they were never really a full hour) - now I'm getting more than what is the maximum.

Then, the stupid scheduling office people were once again NOT in the schedule office. Ah, for the good ol' days of reserving rooms online. Give me that any day. This having to go to school and talk to someone about it business is crap. I waited for a half hour for them to return, meanwhile scheduling stuff with my new quartet. We are going to do Grieg quartet for a Grieg festival in Nov here at BU (its a Grieg year - who knew??). Fun fun fun.

The schedule guy came back, and I reserved a room for studio on Monday night.

Then, I needed to go to Cambridge to pick up music for my Cantata Singers gig next weekend. When I did B minor mass with them last spring, Hoose brought me the music. No such luck this time. I got on a 66 bus, and began the trip. About halfway there, we stopped in traffic for a good 5 min when the firetrucks and ambulances came. Started moving again after another 10 min, and sure enough, on the right, are paramedics doing cpr on a guy covered in blood. I could see the whole thing. It looks like he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, stopped suddenly and flew into his windshield, because there were no other cars in the accident and the windshield was broken on the driver's side.

Suddenly, my knee didn't seem so bad, and I felt like a jerk because I'd complained about it already to about three different people. Its just a scraped knee.

Soon enough, I got to Cambridge, picked up the music, and came home.

Since then, I have been doing laundry (the f*%&^ing dryers aren't working again - everything is wet and cold), packing, and moving my newly painted dresser into my room! It looks really amazing - hopefully i'll figure out my camera with my computer soon so all can see. I love it! And it is the PERFECT size for where my bookshelf used to be. The curtains for my room went up last night, and they are also very nice.

Can you tell I don't have italics? I have to resort to capital letters.

Tomorrow night I'm going to Indiana for my cousin Josh's wedding. I haven't been to the area where my dad's family lives since before junior year of high school. I have to run directly from orchestra to the airport, land in Indianapolis at 11ish, my parents will pick me up, we'll go get Hannah at Butler, go BACK to the airport to pick up Holly coming in from Phoenix at 12:30 am, and then drive the 3-4 hours to the southern part of the state. Its going to be fun, but exhausting. Oh, and then we have rehearsal for the wedding at 8 am.

This is a very long, and I realize, very boring post. I will close for now.

First Day Back to Orchestra

Ugh. Dvorak 6. Double ugh

However, this weekend was very successful. Molly and I now have curtains hung in the living room, her room, a rug, and I finished putting primer on my dresser. I was frustrated at the hardward store yesterday, however - I picked out the color to paint my dresser, called Asperations, a bluish green color, and was told the paint guy was sick and to come back tomorrow. Forget it. Not going back to Cambridge for paint. Too many other things to do. So I will go to the one near Harvard and Comm Ave and get it there. Good grief. I did pick out curtains for my room, too, after a whole year without. They will go up this week.

Yesterday we also went to the Greek fest in Sommerville, which was so fun! There was a TON of amazing food, music, and dancing! I loved it.

My chamber music situation is driving me nuts - Peter still hasn't figured out who to put me with. Grrrr. I want to get it all figured out and settled ASAP. CCE members are welcome to come help me out! :-)

Things and Stuff

While talking on the phone last night with Kimberly (for almost two hours!), she asked me if I have a new roommate. I suddenly realized that many of you may not know that I have a new person living with me. Her name is Molly Wood, and she is a 2nd year Masters collaborative piano degree. She moved in Sunday with a flurry of activity, and we started to scrub this place down like you've never seen before. Hopefully we'll be done by the end of this weekend, and at the end every room with be cleaned and reorganized, including my room. I have a new dresser (found it at the back door trash dump - its old, and needs paint, but its good wood - cedar - and the drawers are dovetailed - I am quite excited) that will go in the place of my bookshelf, which is now in the living room. Fun fun fun!

At my lesson yesterday, while I was playing along, there was a knock on the door and who should it be but Ari Striesfeld (http://www.jackquartet.com/index.html)!!! I had forgotten that he is now in my studio. He graduated from Northwestern for his masters, and he and his girlfriend (who is going to Longy) have moved to Boston for DMAs. It was SO good to see him, and recall past CCE days at Soundfest. Happy times.

My first official class is today at 1 pm with Joel Sheveloff. Its a History of Song class. Obviously, its not very specific to my type of instrument, however Sheveloff is suppose to be this great prof that everybody is constantly talking about and I needed the credit so low and behold, i'm taking it. I figure violinists are always trying to sound like a voice anyway - maybe this will be more helpful to me than I originally thought.

Next on my call list - Paul and Mary!