Dear Reader (Or How Critisism Kills the Artist)
Sorry for the long amount of time it took me to update. I'm sitting at work (my 2nd to last day) and in about 40 minutes, I have a dentist appointment. Not having much to do, I felt like I should re-cap the summer. I'm leaving in 4 days to go back to Ithaca and start my junior year (this year I get to teach actual children, and continue with the singing, music theory, and other musical events that I thoroughly enjoy.) The opera for this year is The Merry Widow, The King's Singers will be guest performers (as well as giving master classes), and the choir has a tour to Washington DC in November (assuming I make it in). I'm looking forward to a busy and musical year.
Among the vacations I took this summer, I had some good times:
Nantucket with my family was excellent. I rode my bike everywhere, swam on the beach, ate some really delicious grilled foods, and enjoyed not having to do much of anything important. I ran into 3 friends from IC because they happen to be singing on the street for $$ with an a cappella group called The Cobbletones. Some of em sang shirtless…which is probably a good marketing tool. My family and I went to a restaurant and I decided to test the waters and order a strawberry daiquiri. Much to my dismay, the waitress asked for ID and so my efforts of obtaining booze were thwarted. How dare them! I can certainly pass for 21, and plus I was with my family, and plus who goes to a restaurant to specifically get drunk and do nothing else?! Ah well, I turn 21 in February and then I can do whatever the hell I want.
Some camping excursions were also the rave este verano.
Most recently, Heather, Graham, Tiff, Ali, Manuel, and I went to a quaint woodless campground called Chalise Lake or something like that. Good times swimming (especially at night where people were shinning flashlights at us), playing rummy 500 or Scategories, interesting stories of Tiffany's life, cooking over an open flame-it was quite delicious. It was nice to catch up with people who I went to middle school with but still kept contact with although we went to separate high schools.
Christopher (from IC) and I went to Lake George where he happens to have 2 camps. We stayed at the nice one for a night, and then motorboated to an island where we pitched a tent and cooked wieners over an open flame, and tossed back a few brews-we're so straight. (except for the time when played the 'musicals' category game). His other camp (which we visited during the day) had no running water or electricity, but it had an excellent place to swim. It was his birthday so I spent Sunday night at his mom's house for a family dinner and we were somewhat of the entertainment… playing the piano. We made appletinis and watched the Simpsons and Family Guy. By then, I had quite a raucous laugh that the whole neighborhood could probably hear. We left early Monday morning so I could get back to Worcester (straight to work) on time.
During Senior week, a few brothers and I went on a road trip around rural NY. We stopped in Dyke, NY, Corning, a sketchy skeezy diner, and topped the day off camping in Peter's backyard (it was rustic, despite the delicious meals that were made for us by his mom). It was somewhat of a gay spoonfest in the tent, a clean one, but enjoyable nonetheless. I think I ate 12 s'mores that night. The next day was following the 'wine trail' 5-6 wineries that are mingled around the fingerlakes. I was a DD, so in return, Peter gave me a bottle of wine from Bully Hill Vineyards. We ate lunch/dinner at an outdoor café there, and I had the most delicious crab cakes EVER. We then topped the evening off with ice cream in Watkins Glen, and I think I had chocolate bark or something. I forget the name but it was soo rich, and I ate a large cone, which is unheard of for me. (Sidenote… Heather and I still need to go to Coldstone before I leave) For the rest of SR week we played laser tag in the deserted T-12 and watched movies, partied, and I went back home.
Other weekend trips include:
Ithaca for a weekend with Andrew: Not too many people around but managed to spend some quality time with him. Drank a few nights (aka 1 ½), watched some movies, hiked around, drank tea, make food, practiced (how strange the music building is with no one there), and said weird things to people whilst drunk and half asleep. "It's amazing how we fight so much and we never get a munchies or a barbeque chicken!"
Maine for the weekend with just my dad and Nana (who actually lives there). We went to Reide State Park (our usual Maine destination). Of course the water was freezing and the seagulls vicious, but it is always a good time. We had our lobster dinner outside on a picnic table. I think I had lobster 3-4 times this summer. We got my nana a DVD player and taught her how to use it.
Tanglewood to see James Taylor. It was rainy and I sat by myself for a while, waiting for Julia to show. I met up with an old BUTI friend and we walked around the grounds chatting and reminiscing of days past. I wish I did more BUTI reunioning, but I hear there's a big one next summer-which will be four years from the time I was a student there. I still reflect on that experience (where I was, what it was like-smells, sights, sounds, who I was with) and I really notice how much I have grown as a person and musician since then.
shows/movies
I saw Falsettos at the Huntington, making it the 2nd production I've seen of that show. Carrie, Ash, and I had coffee and Starbucks and paid only 14$ for our student rush tx seating us about 7th row orchestra. In act II when Mendel shines the light on "homosexuals", of course the light had shone on me. We all found that quite amusing, even now. The first production I saw was at the Barrington Stage Company when I was 17. There are things I like from both productions. I thought the singing was better in the 02 production and the acting was better in this one.
Speaking of Finn, I saw Elegies for an even lower cost of FREE at Barrington, with my mom's/family’s friend (a Milford HS alum) directing. From what I heard of the music, I didn't like it, but I was actually blown away with how strong such a simple show could be. The power had gone out at the theater and hour before and so they had to use back-up lighting, so there were no special lighting or sound equipment working. It was just a piano onstage with 5 singer/actors (who were fabulous) a few chairs, and a collage of cloud photographs. There was minimal lighting, but that had been really the only thing that we were unable to see, except in the last half when the power went on. William Finn, the writer of the show was sitting less than 4 feet from me, as I was at the end of an aisle, and he was at the corner beginning of the next left row of seats. It was interesting to see his reactions to the actor/director portrayals of his wonderful piece. I did get to meet Mr. Finn after the show. Chris had interviewed him for the Berkshire paper, and I was introduced through that. He signed my Spelling Bee cd, which actually had originated at the Barrington Stage Company. I thought I would've been giddy/starstruck when I met him, like when I met Alison Fraser, but it was anticlimactic. Bill looked so old and disheveled, so that was disappointing. All in all, it was an excellent theatre experience.
On Friday, I'll be seeing Phantom--The American Musical Sensation, with my sister in the cast. I wish I had done a show or something musical this summer, but I probably wouldn't have had much time to catch up and spend time with friends. I practice here and there and we shall see what happens when the school year starts.
As for the movies I saw. I really enjoyed The Wedding Crashers when I saw it at a movie theater in Nantucket. I was with my mom and sis, so I felt a little uncomfortable when the bare boobies where flashed across the screen. Went to the drive-in twice and saw Bewitched, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dukes of Hazzard, and Bad News Bears. The only movie I liked was Dukes, mainly because Seann William Scott is incredibly attractive. The drive-in is fun because you don't need to pay attn or like the movie. It's just a fun place to be.
Oh yea, I saw that zombie movie, Return of the Dead (or something along those lines) with Greg on the 4th of July. We were the only ones in the theater, and boy did that movie blow. It was fine because we put our feet up on the chairs in front of us and made loud sarcastic comments throughout the film. It's good to have someone to do that with sometimes. Those are all the movies I saw in the theaters this summer--not a very long list, huh?
In general it was just good to see people. I enjoyed the experimenting with cooking with Heather, the late night chats with Ashley, the games of pitch with Ezra, Blueberry Picking with Ellen, anything with Carrie, watching Rachael Ray with Mike and Nell, partying with James, Sam, Ti, Chris. Whoever else I miss, I still remember somewhere in my brain and you know I love and appreciate you. I'm so glad I was home for the summer and not in Ithaca, which is somewhat a ghost town during the summer, as I had witnessed.
Working at Worcester State Hospital was quite an experience too. They pretty much let me do my own thing, and I helped out as much as I could. They had been short staffed and I was the go-between preparing hearing notices and sending them, picking up the phone when no one else could, and of course the copying, organizing, and taking walks around the old abandoned hospital grounds. The legal staff care very much about what they are doing, and it was an inspiration. It's a scary thought to walk into the same place everyday and do the same sort of thing. It's even scarier that I might be faced with a situation like that someday. Even though paralegal or law work is probably not something I wish to pursue, I can still say it was a positive experience and it taught me a lot about working for the state and the mentally ill. There is a hospital-wide bbq tomorrow, which just so happens to fall on my last day of work. Coincidence? I don't think so! heh
Best of luck to everyone this year. Send me a message/email/call/im or something and let me know how you're doing.
P.S. My apologies for the constant use of the dash-- and the parenthesis ().
Among the vacations I took this summer, I had some good times:
Nantucket with my family was excellent. I rode my bike everywhere, swam on the beach, ate some really delicious grilled foods, and enjoyed not having to do much of anything important. I ran into 3 friends from IC because they happen to be singing on the street for $$ with an a cappella group called The Cobbletones. Some of em sang shirtless…which is probably a good marketing tool. My family and I went to a restaurant and I decided to test the waters and order a strawberry daiquiri. Much to my dismay, the waitress asked for ID and so my efforts of obtaining booze were thwarted. How dare them! I can certainly pass for 21, and plus I was with my family, and plus who goes to a restaurant to specifically get drunk and do nothing else?! Ah well, I turn 21 in February and then I can do whatever the hell I want.
Some camping excursions were also the rave este verano.
Most recently, Heather, Graham, Tiff, Ali, Manuel, and I went to a quaint woodless campground called Chalise Lake or something like that. Good times swimming (especially at night where people were shinning flashlights at us), playing rummy 500 or Scategories, interesting stories of Tiffany's life, cooking over an open flame-it was quite delicious. It was nice to catch up with people who I went to middle school with but still kept contact with although we went to separate high schools.
Christopher (from IC) and I went to Lake George where he happens to have 2 camps. We stayed at the nice one for a night, and then motorboated to an island where we pitched a tent and cooked wieners over an open flame, and tossed back a few brews-we're so straight. (except for the time when played the 'musicals' category game). His other camp (which we visited during the day) had no running water or electricity, but it had an excellent place to swim. It was his birthday so I spent Sunday night at his mom's house for a family dinner and we were somewhat of the entertainment… playing the piano. We made appletinis and watched the Simpsons and Family Guy. By then, I had quite a raucous laugh that the whole neighborhood could probably hear. We left early Monday morning so I could get back to Worcester (straight to work) on time.
During Senior week, a few brothers and I went on a road trip around rural NY. We stopped in Dyke, NY, Corning, a sketchy skeezy diner, and topped the day off camping in Peter's backyard (it was rustic, despite the delicious meals that were made for us by his mom). It was somewhat of a gay spoonfest in the tent, a clean one, but enjoyable nonetheless. I think I ate 12 s'mores that night. The next day was following the 'wine trail' 5-6 wineries that are mingled around the fingerlakes. I was a DD, so in return, Peter gave me a bottle of wine from Bully Hill Vineyards. We ate lunch/dinner at an outdoor café there, and I had the most delicious crab cakes EVER. We then topped the evening off with ice cream in Watkins Glen, and I think I had chocolate bark or something. I forget the name but it was soo rich, and I ate a large cone, which is unheard of for me. (Sidenote… Heather and I still need to go to Coldstone before I leave) For the rest of SR week we played laser tag in the deserted T-12 and watched movies, partied, and I went back home.
Other weekend trips include:
Ithaca for a weekend with Andrew: Not too many people around but managed to spend some quality time with him. Drank a few nights (aka 1 ½), watched some movies, hiked around, drank tea, make food, practiced (how strange the music building is with no one there), and said weird things to people whilst drunk and half asleep. "It's amazing how we fight so much and we never get a munchies or a barbeque chicken!"
Maine for the weekend with just my dad and Nana (who actually lives there). We went to Reide State Park (our usual Maine destination). Of course the water was freezing and the seagulls vicious, but it is always a good time. We had our lobster dinner outside on a picnic table. I think I had lobster 3-4 times this summer. We got my nana a DVD player and taught her how to use it.
Tanglewood to see James Taylor. It was rainy and I sat by myself for a while, waiting for Julia to show. I met up with an old BUTI friend and we walked around the grounds chatting and reminiscing of days past. I wish I did more BUTI reunioning, but I hear there's a big one next summer-which will be four years from the time I was a student there. I still reflect on that experience (where I was, what it was like-smells, sights, sounds, who I was with) and I really notice how much I have grown as a person and musician since then.
shows/movies
I saw Falsettos at the Huntington, making it the 2nd production I've seen of that show. Carrie, Ash, and I had coffee and Starbucks and paid only 14$ for our student rush tx seating us about 7th row orchestra. In act II when Mendel shines the light on "homosexuals", of course the light had shone on me. We all found that quite amusing, even now. The first production I saw was at the Barrington Stage Company when I was 17. There are things I like from both productions. I thought the singing was better in the 02 production and the acting was better in this one.
Speaking of Finn, I saw Elegies for an even lower cost of FREE at Barrington, with my mom's/family’s friend (a Milford HS alum) directing. From what I heard of the music, I didn't like it, but I was actually blown away with how strong such a simple show could be. The power had gone out at the theater and hour before and so they had to use back-up lighting, so there were no special lighting or sound equipment working. It was just a piano onstage with 5 singer/actors (who were fabulous) a few chairs, and a collage of cloud photographs. There was minimal lighting, but that had been really the only thing that we were unable to see, except in the last half when the power went on. William Finn, the writer of the show was sitting less than 4 feet from me, as I was at the end of an aisle, and he was at the corner beginning of the next left row of seats. It was interesting to see his reactions to the actor/director portrayals of his wonderful piece. I did get to meet Mr. Finn after the show. Chris had interviewed him for the Berkshire paper, and I was introduced through that. He signed my Spelling Bee cd, which actually had originated at the Barrington Stage Company. I thought I would've been giddy/starstruck when I met him, like when I met Alison Fraser, but it was anticlimactic. Bill looked so old and disheveled, so that was disappointing. All in all, it was an excellent theatre experience.
On Friday, I'll be seeing Phantom--The American Musical Sensation, with my sister in the cast. I wish I had done a show or something musical this summer, but I probably wouldn't have had much time to catch up and spend time with friends. I practice here and there and we shall see what happens when the school year starts.
As for the movies I saw. I really enjoyed The Wedding Crashers when I saw it at a movie theater in Nantucket. I was with my mom and sis, so I felt a little uncomfortable when the bare boobies where flashed across the screen. Went to the drive-in twice and saw Bewitched, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dukes of Hazzard, and Bad News Bears. The only movie I liked was Dukes, mainly because Seann William Scott is incredibly attractive. The drive-in is fun because you don't need to pay attn or like the movie. It's just a fun place to be.
Oh yea, I saw that zombie movie, Return of the Dead (or something along those lines) with Greg on the 4th of July. We were the only ones in the theater, and boy did that movie blow. It was fine because we put our feet up on the chairs in front of us and made loud sarcastic comments throughout the film. It's good to have someone to do that with sometimes. Those are all the movies I saw in the theaters this summer--not a very long list, huh?
In general it was just good to see people. I enjoyed the experimenting with cooking with Heather, the late night chats with Ashley, the games of pitch with Ezra, Blueberry Picking with Ellen, anything with Carrie, watching Rachael Ray with Mike and Nell, partying with James, Sam, Ti, Chris. Whoever else I miss, I still remember somewhere in my brain and you know I love and appreciate you. I'm so glad I was home for the summer and not in Ithaca, which is somewhat a ghost town during the summer, as I had witnessed.
Working at Worcester State Hospital was quite an experience too. They pretty much let me do my own thing, and I helped out as much as I could. They had been short staffed and I was the go-between preparing hearing notices and sending them, picking up the phone when no one else could, and of course the copying, organizing, and taking walks around the old abandoned hospital grounds. The legal staff care very much about what they are doing, and it was an inspiration. It's a scary thought to walk into the same place everyday and do the same sort of thing. It's even scarier that I might be faced with a situation like that someday. Even though paralegal or law work is probably not something I wish to pursue, I can still say it was a positive experience and it taught me a lot about working for the state and the mentally ill. There is a hospital-wide bbq tomorrow, which just so happens to fall on my last day of work. Coincidence? I don't think so! heh
Best of luck to everyone this year. Send me a message/email/call/im or something and let me know how you're doing.
P.S. My apologies for the constant use of the dash-- and the parenthesis ().