December
I took a nice trip to NYC last week. Mostly just hung out with my sister in Queens, but made it to Manhattan to hang out with a few old friends as well. Because I am more strongly grounded in Portland, I think it felt more OK to think of myself as a visitor hanging around NYC than as a jilted lover. Also, I'm about 35 pounds lighter than I was the last time I was in the city. It has boosted my confidence a bit, I guess. Speaking of jilted lovers, I came back to PDX with a hickey. I haven't had one in years! It was kind of embarrassing.
Unfortunately, I really did eat and drink a lot, and combined with Thanksgiving I'm still hovering at about the same weight that I've been at for almost a month now. Although weight naturally hovers, and progress should be pretty long-term - I also know that I ate a lot, didn't work out, and enough time has elapsed that I can make a pretty accurate judgment. All the travel and eating has been hard to reverse, and I really need to be more vigilant about lapses.
Anyway, NYC was really quite peaceful and uneventful. But I think that was a good thing. I still partied, but actively refused to let any drama even faze me. I did make a trip to my alma mater, which looks quite different since I graduated. Kind of like a spaceship now, actually... I picked up my Graduate Diploma (like a Master's - but with less credits) and didn't look back. Although I had a really great time at Juilliard, I was really 'done' with the place over a year ago, and I think I need to avoid it for a little while before I can return comfortably. In part, it's just awkward to see people I went to school with that are still there. I don't know, I guess it makes me feel old.
When I arrived back in Portland, I just kept relaxing. I worked for two years with no personal time off, I feel like I've earned it! Also visited Seattle briefly with a handful of spare time that I had. My sister was out here visiting, so we continued the hang. She wanted to stock up on as much Northwest beer as possible, so again, I ate and drank a lot. But enough about that, the last few weeks were great. This week is "Gospel Christmas" with the Symphony, which is one of my favorite concerts of the year. I think last year's program was a little better, but this year is fun too.
I'm way behind in pretty much everything else lately, but oh well. For the most part, life is good, and getting better all the time. I think that a giant list on the wall reminding me of the shit I have to do would be a welcome addition to my life... Anyway, I should go to sleep. I'm going to get up early and clean my filthy apartment.
OH, I almost forgot! I had my second tenure review meeting and it went extremely well. This means that sometime this year, barring some kind of disaster, I should be granted tenure. AWESOME. I love my job, I love the orchestra, and I love this city. I feel very happy to have this opportunity, and especially now that we have three players in the section, I should have time to keep dedicating myself to it but not feel overworked.
Unfortunately, I really did eat and drink a lot, and combined with Thanksgiving I'm still hovering at about the same weight that I've been at for almost a month now. Although weight naturally hovers, and progress should be pretty long-term - I also know that I ate a lot, didn't work out, and enough time has elapsed that I can make a pretty accurate judgment. All the travel and eating has been hard to reverse, and I really need to be more vigilant about lapses.
Anyway, NYC was really quite peaceful and uneventful. But I think that was a good thing. I still partied, but actively refused to let any drama even faze me. I did make a trip to my alma mater, which looks quite different since I graduated. Kind of like a spaceship now, actually... I picked up my Graduate Diploma (like a Master's - but with less credits) and didn't look back. Although I had a really great time at Juilliard, I was really 'done' with the place over a year ago, and I think I need to avoid it for a little while before I can return comfortably. In part, it's just awkward to see people I went to school with that are still there. I don't know, I guess it makes me feel old.
When I arrived back in Portland, I just kept relaxing. I worked for two years with no personal time off, I feel like I've earned it! Also visited Seattle briefly with a handful of spare time that I had. My sister was out here visiting, so we continued the hang. She wanted to stock up on as much Northwest beer as possible, so again, I ate and drank a lot. But enough about that, the last few weeks were great. This week is "Gospel Christmas" with the Symphony, which is one of my favorite concerts of the year. I think last year's program was a little better, but this year is fun too.
I'm way behind in pretty much everything else lately, but oh well. For the most part, life is good, and getting better all the time. I think that a giant list on the wall reminding me of the shit I have to do would be a welcome addition to my life... Anyway, I should go to sleep. I'm going to get up early and clean my filthy apartment.
OH, I almost forgot! I had my second tenure review meeting and it went extremely well. This means that sometime this year, barring some kind of disaster, I should be granted tenure. AWESOME. I love my job, I love the orchestra, and I love this city. I feel very happy to have this opportunity, and especially now that we have three players in the section, I should have time to keep dedicating myself to it but not feel overworked.