"She gets the car."

Well, I really do love New York. My knack for knowing random things paid off today. In one of my music classes today, we had a guest lecturer, an assistant conductor here at UW. He invited us to guess what instrument John Philip Sousa, the march king, played. He said if somebody got it right, it would be like getting a car on "Wheel of Fortune." I question the choice of the quiz show, but you get the point. Anyway, somebody guessed the tuba. Somebody else jokingly guessed the triangle. LOL! Well, nobody knew. The conductor told us that Sousa played the violin. How about that? You learn something new every day.

Fast forward a few minutes, and the conductor was telling us the pieces that would be featured in an upcoming School of Music concert. One of them is called "Redline Tango." He was reading a paragraph about the piece and explained that it had a double meaning. I forgot the first, but the second refers to the red line of the subway system in New York. It runs through Manhattan and to BAM, where the piece premiered. "What's B-A-M?" he asked our professor. My professor didn't know. Before I knew it, I called out:

"Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"What?"

(louder) "Brooklyn Academy of Music!"

"Broadway?"

"Brooklyn!"

"Ohh. She gets the car."

*smiles on both our faces*

Let's hear it for random trivia! Maybe I should apply for Jeopardy! (FYI, I owe it to PBS' "Ghostwriter" for knowing that BAM stands for Brooklyn Academy of Music. LOL! Loved that show.)

Baby, it's col---no, I take that back!

What's up with the 60 degree weather, Seattle? We're freakin' dyin' here. They've got the heat turned on in the dorm, in the classrooms, at work, and at the Opera. It's way too toasty. Yikes. Here in my room, the windows are open, and the fans are going. It's like a summer night. I really enjoyed last summer and I sometimes wish it still *were* last summer, but really, I'm not in denial. I very well accept that fact that it's winter. So if you please, let it be winter. No more sticky heat in January. Don't give people in the PNW a reason to wear flip flops in the middle of WINTER when it's RAINING.

My guitar!!!

A Takamine G Series, model number GS-330S. Acoustic. Steel strings. Narrow neck. Cedar top. Gorgeous mellow sound. It's beautiful. And it's mine. :)

Mom and I went to Guitar Center for the first time yesterday. That store is incredible. I started by examining a couple guitars (Yamaha and Fender). It was a little annoying because I had to tune them. As I was playing the Fender, a salesperson approached us. Jay seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy, and he was very helpful in leading us to the intermediate guitars in a room where you can test guitars without being distracted by the music aired over the speaker system. He showed me a grand concert Fender (I liked that it had a smaller body and the fact that it was a Fender [what can I say? I was thinking of RENT]), but then he said he just got a shipment of a Takamine guitar. I tried the Fender while he went to get the Takamine. I knew I would get an intermediate guitar once I started playing. For one, they were already in tune. Also, Jay had explained the wood tops of the intermediate guitars produced better sounds over time than the beginner guitars.

When he returned with the Takamine, he tuned it and then handed it over so I could try it. Right from the start, it was super easy to move my hand on the neck, and the sound was, as I said before, gorgeous. I tried one more guitar, a Yamaha with a spruce top. But I was already convinced I'd get the Takamine.

Thank you, Mom, for such an amazing present!

Gimme an 'R'!

Gimme an 'A'! Oh, forget it. Let's cut to the chase:

I got a raise at work! It was totally unexpected. My supervisor told me she had good news. I was kind of like, "Huh?" So I asked, "What is it?" And she told me I'm getting a raise -- effective today. Woo to the hoo! My day has been made. They know how to keep this student assistant happy.

Tonight I'm seeing the dress rehearsal of Manon Lescaut. Yay!

On another note: Happy Birthday, Lolo Ven!

Not my day

Well, I decided to buy a portable CD player to replace my old Panasonic. It wasn't that old, but as you'll recall, it broke. I can't live without a portable music device, so I decided to stick with Panasonic and ordered a cool model -- complete with a remote control feature -- from circuitcity.com. I bought it *because* of the remote control. The main unit is really light, and the headphones are pretty good. Unfortunately, the remote control doesn't even work! Argh, imagine my frustration if you will. Oh ho ho, I'm determined to get a replacement part without having to pay an outrageous price. I'm just not sure how to go about doing it. The Panasonic site won't let me submit my query. OK, I'm done ranting... for now.

First new year's resolution (yeah, I never got around to writing any down): Cut down the use of the word "cool." I say it too much.

Second new year's resolution: Drink more water. I think I got the idea from Janice.

Opera novice

That would be me. As opposed to an opera aficionado. This past week has inspired me to see the upcoming productions of Manon Lescaut, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Le nozze di Figaro. I have different reasons for wanting to see each opera (yikes, I keep wanting to type musicals because I'm so used to saying that).

Manon has been labeled as Giacomo Puccini's first successful opera. It's not performed by opera companies very often, so this is my chance.

Florencia is sung in Spanish. How cool is that? It was also written by Daniel Catan in the last decade of the 20th century. Yup, this opera was written during my lifetime. It's also based on themes from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (accents over the "i" in Garcia and "a" in Marquez).

I'm watching a production of Nozze on DVD. I can't pass up watching the Young Artists, since I'll be working on the Young Artists Program at my internship.

I had wanted to see operas in the past but never got around to it. To make up for it, this is the year I'm going to see some. (And pick up some programs that I helped proofread and, in some small & supportive ways, create. ;) )

Endings and Beginnings

Here's lookin' at you, 2004. It's the year I...
...declared my major in communication.
...saw Josh Groban sing live and in person for the first time.
...met Josh Groban.
...visited Brittany in L.A.
...saw Miss Saigon for the 9th time.
...volunteered with Seattle Public Theater.
...went to New York City twice.
...saw Wicked.
...saw Avenue Q.
...attended the free Broadway on Broadway concert in Times Square.
...saw Josh in concert a total of three times.
...wrote my first complete song.

2005 is off to a great start so far. School is back in session. Alias has finally returned to the TV lineup. I've returned to work. I've also started my internship with Seattle Opera. I can't fully describe how cool it is to intern there. I've been able to write an opera synopsis, write a draft of a news release, proofread a blue-line, sit in on a department meeting, and take a tour of the office, rehearsal, and storage space. Everyone is really nice and friendly.

Here's lookin' at you, 2005.

Let's see where this year takes us.