Category Archives: Cat

Auditions, Cat, Random thoughts

Who knew people liked reading about auditions

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Wow.  My blog traffic has tripled since I posted “orchestra auditions for non-musicians.”  (If you haven’t read it, check it out.  And SHARE with your non-musician friends and family who think you are either crazy or a failure.)

So what do I do next?  If you are still reading you might notice my topics are all over the place.  Violin, teaching, working out, eating, movies, etc.

But this is my life, this is the life of a musician!  The life of one musician, at least.  I spent many years practicing or working all the time.  And now I have the luxury of some free time, and I’ve dedicated it to MYSELF and my health.  And I discovered a passion for running…well, conceptually at least.  I think that working out and music have a lot in common as far as discipline, scheduling, and delayed results.

I don’t want to just write about music, or about orchestral life, or about “how to win an audition”.  (Honestly, that last one I don’t really know…I have only one a few auditions, and definitely lost more than I’ve won.  Perhaps I can write “how to lose an audition” instead?)  I used to think I would write a book about the life of a freelance musician…maybe I’ll do something like that on my blog in the near future.  Perhaps an improved “Mozart in the Jungle”….

Or maybe all of my {potential} new readers are frightened away by my randomness and great love of my cat?

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Can you believe that is a cat?  And yes, that is part of my purple music stand.  You know what, it’s cool.  I like my blog the way it is.  My parents read it, and Chris reads on occasion, and some of my friends read it occasionally too.  And you are all AWESOME!

But I will do some more posts related to day to day life of musicians so you can share them with your family Smile  I’ll also do posts about my cat, running in the park, my students, and post stalk-y pictures of my trainer.  I know you’ll be pleased.

Cat, Running

Caturday

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I haven’t really celebrated Caturday in the past, so I thought I’d start small.

 

Why are you interrupting my nap?  Plus I am so disheveled!

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I’m going to ignore you while I groom myself in the sun.

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Or maybe I’ll try to attack you!  Mwah hah haaa!  My claws are sharp and will leave deep scars in your fleshy skin.

She likes to hide behind the curtain and sleep for much of the afternoon.  This is a warm weather activity, as the windowsill gets too cold in the winter.

 

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You can’t really tell, but I got a pedicure today!  I really needed one after my season of running…I guess the half marathon season IS over for a bit.  My feet were really calloused, but now I’m starting fresh.  I suppose the callouses will simply build back up, but either way it’s nice to start fresh.

I wanted to go for a run outside this morning, but it was rainy and cold, and I am tired of running in the cold.  I want to get used to running in the HEAT, which isn’t possible in this weather.  I can’t believe that last Sunday it was close to 90 degrees and now today it’s about 50!  I also think its hilarious that I am always confounded by the changes in the weather, no matter.  It’s as if I honestly expect the weather to stay consistent, even though it just doesn’t do that.

I don’t have any half marathons on the horizon…the next one is the Rock n Roll St Louis but that’s in late-October.  There’s a couple things of interest in Chicago in the late summer, but I’d need a friend to run with or else it would be silly.  Jen is having a tough time recovering from the race—evidently she DID need medical attention Sad smile  I’m sure she’ll be fine soon, but I feel bad.

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Chris looked me like I was crazy.  I’ll take that as a maybe?

Cat

Found it!

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Sweet, my Garmin has been found.  It was in the laundry basket.  No idea why.  I was really tired on Sunday, so maybe I did something weird.  Well, OBVIOUSLY I did something weird, like somehow put a watch in the laundry basket.  Hmm.

I will again know how fast (or really, slow) I can run! 

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I stole this from a colleague’s (Jen—shout out!) facebook page.  This is Cesar, the ballet school dog.  He wasn’t feeling well, but HOW cute is he?

Cuter than this?

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I had just finished folding the towels and she had to make herself at home.

Cat, Random thoughts

Mahler success

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I loved the concert last night!  You just can’t go wrong with Mahler.  We sat in the second to the last row for the best sound (you really get the reverb up there).  Overall I loved the concert…except for the fact that there was another piece programmed with the Mahler.  It was a lovely piece, I’m sure.  But Mahler 2 stands alone.

I also remembered I had most recently played Mahler 2 with the Columbus Symphony. 

Afterwards we headed to Franco for drinks and food (for some).  I finally was able to introduce myself to Tom, the owner who works out with a personal trainer at my gym, usually at the same time I am. 

Today I am heading to Illinois to play with some of my students on a concert for all the Lutheran schools in the area. It should be a good experience for them to play with a larger group, as our “orchestra” is very small.  Out west, some of my Child of God students are playing solos for a “solo and ensemble” type of festival today.  I wish them luck (and I know they are well prepared so I’m not worried.)

Speaking of well prepared, this is a busy weekend for me.  Tomorrow is the half marathon (for which I keep reminding myself I am well prepared) and Monday Chris has a little audition.  I have been working hard to keep the stress at bay…auditions are stressful no matter what…but particularly when you aren’t even the one taking the audition and are simply waiting.  No matter, it will all be settled by Monday evening and we will know where we stand.

  kitties!

In honor of “Caturday”……KITTTTTTTTTTTTIES!

Cat

Keeping my feet warm

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I had a long day of teaching today, though I did have a couple no-shows and a few kids sick.  I finally sat down on the couch and put up my feet and turned on last week’s “Parenthood.”  And what landed on my foot pillow?

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As you can see she barely fits in the frame. (Ignore the mess in the back room!)

(Aww, you know I love my cat!)

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I could NOT get her to turn around and look at me!  Somebody was mad at all the violin playing today, I guess.

Brief follow-up to a couple previous issues:  The snow and ice all melted.  And my wrist is feeling better…not 100 percent, but improving. 

Cat

Thanks for November

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In my kitty induced haze, I forgot to mention something I have thinking about recently.

It’s really easy for me to feel inadequate, to find people who are more successful in life (career and personal) than I am.  No matter what I accomplish, there is always somebody who accomplished it sooner, better, faster, and easier.

But I must remember, somebody else hasn’t accomplished it yet, and may never!  So it’s important to keep PERSPECTIVE–that my life is actually pretty darned awesome, and in reality there are very few things I would change.

I also have to continually remind myself that how somebody acts on the outside doesn’t necessarily reflect how they feel on the inside.

Where am I going with this?  Last year I recall a friend made a different facebook status each day about what they were thankful for.  I know it’s cliched and cheesy, but I want to do that this month.  I have so many things to be thankful for, and I need to remind myself of that!  (If you want to add something you are thankful for in the comments, please do!)  Plus I love Thanksgiving–it’s possibly my most favorite holiday.

*drools over Thanksgiving plate*

Today:  I am thankful for my cat, Oistrakh.  She is warm, fuzzy, squashy, and adorable.  Even though sometimes she bugs me for food or attention, she is always there for a snuggle!  Ever since we became a one-cat household she has lived up to the challenge and been a fantastic pet.  THANK YOU FAT FRIEND!

 

Gotta love the ability to sleep just about anywhere!