Wednesday, December 9, 2009

20 Degrees = Warmer?!?

I just have to share that it's been an icebox here in Denver for the past few days. Single to low double digit highs, the kind of cold where you walk outside and it literally takes your breath away. In fact, it tried to snow yesterday and it couldn't even do that properly...too cold!

I heard on NPR this morning, as they were giving the weather report:

"The Denver area will have sunshine and warmer temperatures - a high of 20."

That's right - it's been so cold that 12 degrees below freezing is still considered a "warm-up"! Looking at my Weather Bug on my computer, it just reached 0 degrees this morning.

Ok - enough about that...time for some more hot coffee!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

New Moon

Yup, that's right...we finally went to go see New Moon last Wednesday, and it was all I hoped for and more. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect out of the movie since I thought Twilight was terrible, but I was more than satisfied with the way they handled the second installment of the saga.

Let me say right off the bat - this was the best girls night we've had in a while, only because the running commentary during the movie was hilarious. Two of us who were team Edward were seated between two hard-core team Jacob fans, and so I was lucky enough to get the stereo effect of the comments (mostly about Jacob and his fantastic shirtlessness):

For instance, in the film, Jacob is teaching Bella to loosen up and ride a motercycle. Bella falls off, hits her head, and all of us who have read the book know that Jacob uses his shirt to bind her wound. This is the first scene where we get to see the new-and-improved Jacob, and here's what I hear from two of my friends:

"Ooo, here it comes!"
"Wait for it, wait for it..."
"5,4,3,2,1..." shirt comes off, followed by much giggling and squealing from all of us.

Another great moment, toward the end...Edward is driving Bella home, and shirtless Jacob leaps in front of the car forcing it to a stop. The quote this time?

"Well ya, I'd stop for that too!"

Finally, last share. The movie closes with Edward asking Bella to marry him, screen goes black. One of the 7 other people in the theatre, behind us and to the left sighs just loudly enough for us all to hear, causing the whole theatre to laugh.

This was one of those few movies where I actually think it was better because the theatre was empty...it let us all watch the movie almost as a single group. And the funniest part? I don't think any of us were teenagers.

Generally speaking, the writing was miles better, the storyline more consistent with the book, and the overall development of the characters was stronger. The holes that I noticed were understandable, based on the transition from page to movie. If you're into the Twilight saga, this movie is far more worth seeing than the original...and that gives me a lot of hope for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which in my opinion will need to be produced in just the right way for it to be excellent.

So, after all that - who wants to go again? :)

Monday, December 7, 2009

It's December Already!

It's so funny, I have thought of so many things to blog about over the last several weeks but haven't had a spare second to actually hop on here and expand on those thoughts. I'm sure everyone can identify, since the holidays always bring a certain amount of holy-geez-so-much-to-do-not-sure-how-to-do-it!

First, let me say I love love LOVE Thanksgiving and the weeks that follow leading up to Christmas. This Thanksgiving was different than in years past, since it was just my parents and me...my brother and his family was visiting the in-laws this year. While it didn't completely feel like Thanksgiving (I guess I've learned to need more chaos!), it was still wonderful to take it easy - start the turkey after 12 noon, drink wine before noon and still in pajamas, and play Wii and dominoes until we dropped. For the record, Mexican Train is an awesome way to kill a few hours!

I was also lucky enough to spend the remainder of the weekend in Fort Collins with Lande and his family. The time was much too short, but I'll take whatever I can get since this long-distance relationship doesn't allow for nearly as much together time as I would like! We had time to spend with our good friends Aaron and Colyn, to shop, to catch a movie and to catch up with each other before his 8:30am flight on Sunday. I have never been the first person in Starbucks before, but we hit them just as they were opening the doors on the way out of town. And...I didn't believe it, but it really is an hour and a half to DIA from Ft. Collins!

Let it suffice to say that for the rest of the day on Sunday, much sleeping ensued :).

And now, here it is, December again and already! My little nephew just turned 1 last Thursday and we had a family celebration on Saturday. My personal goal was to find a gift for him that would make noise - I'm on the offensive, since my brother would do the same given the opportunity. I chose an xylophone/keyboard, which turned out to be perfect. Andrew didn't really know what to do with it at first, but once I showed him how to use his whole hand (he's big on the one-finger thing right now) he completely got it. Beethoven's got nothing on my nephew, and I'm a proud auntie! I'll post photos as soon as I have two seconds to be at home...

And finally - my friend Niki nominated me for a blog award! Thanks, Niki, for keeping up with all of my stream of thought posts and random wanderings...it's wonderful encouragement for me to keep writing knowing at least a few people are reading! Love ya, mwa!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Paranormal Activity

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've taken any time to post something! I've been working more hours at work, since we're now in the middle of planning season, and that's definitely making me limit computer time when I'm at home.

Anyway - on to the post.

We had a girls night last week and went to see Paranormal Activity. We actually ran into Kayla H. at the same theatre with a friend of hers - so it was kind of an extension of our usual group!

All of the reviews for the movie said that it was really good and really scary. I was so excited to go see a good scary movie that wasn't based all in gore...but maybe my expectations were too high.

Gotta say, I didn't love it. There were some good bump moments, and all of the night time footage was awesome. But the rest of the movie, when the boyfriend was holding the camera, all I could think was that he really sucked at knowing how to hold a video camera. Even normal people can hold it more steady!

So bottom line - it had a lot of promise, but for me the promise wasn't fulfilled because I couldn't even keep my eyes open for most of the movie. At least two of us were suffering from motion sickness by the end because of all the jarring, and that really took away from suggestion of horror which completely makes a psychological thriller.

If you haven't seen it and can handle the hand-held camera footage, then I think it's worth checking out. If you saw it, I'd be curious to know what you thought.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Clue

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween! Mine was very laid back, no costuming this year, but did go hang out with friends at Stephen's house. He lives in a real house in a neighborhood, so we thought he had the best chances of having tick-or-treaters come to the door. Not so much the case (only three kids total, if you don't count the pizza delivery lady who we did get to say "trick-or-treat!"), but at least the three kids were cute. Two boys actually sang me the "Trick-or-Treak, smell my feet song" and the one little girl told me how old she was (7) when I asked what year she was dressed as (lol - she was actually a 70s chick...her mom told me the daughter didn't really understand the costume but fell in love with it and had to have it.)

Then, my friend Liberty came to the party with Clue and Sweeney Todd - not horror movies, but still appropriately creepy for the holiday.

We opted for Clue first. Lande had been surprised that I hadn't seen it, especially considering how much Colyn likes the movie. I actually hadn't heard of the movie before, and Liberty was equally shocked that I'd graduated from AAHS without ever being exposed. So, finally seeing this one was kind of a big deal.

And...I loved it! Totally cheesey, but I loved the board game and whoever wrote the script must have had a ball with it! Some lines that stick with me:

Q: "Why isn't the care moving?"
A: "Because it's scared!"

Butler: "Mrs. White, how many husbands have you had?"
Mrs. White: "Mine or other women's?"
Butler: "Just yours"
Mrs. White: "Just the five...husbands should be like Kleenex, soft strong and disposable"

Ms. Scarlett at the end, after having the accuasation directed at her "That's very good! How did you know, are you Perry Mason or something?" (said with utter delight)

Butler to Scarlett: "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn"

Seriously, I think I need to own this movie. The entire cast rocked their parts, almost every line was memorable, and the movie had three endings. That's right...just like in the game, where a variety of things could be the answer...so it was here!

And, in case you were wondering, I am reminded that I also need to have a house with secret passages at some point down the road.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Update on Snow

It's been nearly 24 hours since my other snow post, and it's still snowing outside. I haven't been out (am still so grateful to be hooked in from home!), but I think we're approaching 14-17". Check out the photo from today, also taken off my deck!







Wednesday, October 28, 2009

It's Snowing!

Today marks the first real storm of the season for Denver. Yes, we've had some snow over the past couple of months, but nothing that has accumulated. Today, we've officially been hit with approximately 8-14" of the white stuff!

The drive into work this morning was a challenge - there's a lot of uphill to get anywhere around here. It is definitely time to have my tires looked at and probably changed, and I'm hoping I can get that in either Friday or Saturday of this week so that I'm prepared for the next storm. Right now, I am happily working from home for the afternoon and watching the snow fall!

Now, it can officially be Halloween...I can't remember a Halloween when there wasn't at least a little snow on the ground!

Here's a photo off my deck:


Sunday, October 25, 2009

New Volunteer Venture

This morning I had plans to go volunteer at a local no-kill cat shelter - it's one of the activities under Metro Volunteers, the group I've done some volunteering with in the past, and I'd wanted to check out the animal shelter but hadn't been able to get it to mesh with my schedule.

Unfortunately, this morning I woke up with a migraine (becoming way too common for my liking) so I thought for a few minutes that maybe I shouldn't go. And then I thought of getting to play with all those cats, and my decision was made. It's true, probably not the best decision...driving when you've got those visual auras is really, really hard...but it was so worth it.

The work part of our detail involved wiping down all the surfaces in the shelter. The place houses approximately 160 cats at any given time, so there is a constant need to clean. There was a fairly large group of us, and it was great meeting some new people. Seems like anytime I volunteer with Metro Volunteers, I meet really cool people, so added perk to the work! It didn't take very long for my partner and I to clean the room that we were assigned to, and the second half of our two hours was supposed to be spent socializing the cats. You got it - I volunteered to play with and pet all the 160 kitties who needed attention. Hard work, right?

I met some very friendly adult cats who were determined to be picked up (they must have come from the same gene pool as Lucy). I found some standoffish ones, and there was actually a room for the shy kitties and one for those who could get sick if they had contact with the other cats. And best of all, there was a kitten room! I'll admit I spent the better part of my socialization time being climbed on by kittens of all shapes and colors...they were so cute and tiny! One curled up in my lap to be petted, and a few minutes later a big white one (not a kitten, just one of the cats that liked to hang in the kitten room) laid down right on top of the little kitten who was already there, lol. Guess he decided that my lap belonged to him!

A few were complete spazzes (btw, did you know that word's in the dictionary??), leaping off all four feet at once, or sitting there completely calmly before bounding across the room and jumping on another kitten. And then - I found the most darling orange boy, who settled into my arms, flipped over, and went to sleep! Oh...if only I could have taken him, but my house is too small for two cats and I know it. I held that little guy forever, I just love it when they choose you...and then I handed him off to someone looking to give a cute little male kitten a home.

Anyway, it was a great volunteer opportunity and I can't wait to participate again. Next time I need to remember to take my camera, and I can post pics of the cute ones who borrow me for the hour.

PS - Lucy smelled me for the first 20 minutes I was home. It was the guilt sniff...but in the end it was fine. She knows I'm wrapped around her paw.

Rachmaninoff - The Bells

Saturday night was the closing night for the Rachmaninoff festival that has been playing at Boettcher Concert Hall for the last two weeks, and we got to play to a sold out house. I love that energy - there's nothing like seeing a venue filled up like that.

The performance opened with one movement from The Vespers, which is an acapella piece and was performed by a small chamber choir selected from the CSO Chorus. That group of select individuals did an amazing job with the piece, and it makes me curious to go look up the rest of the piece. Honestly, I've been so busy trying to learn our various pieces in Russian that when I got to sit and listen to the chamber chorus it occurred to me how beautiful the Alleluia in Russian really was. The piece isn't performed often, so if you ever have an opportunity to go hear it - definitely take advantage.

The second part of the first half of the concert was the full CSO and Chorus performing The Bells, which is the work that Rachmaninoff considered his best and is based on the Edgar Allen Poe poem of the same name. Rachmaninoff had a great love of bells, a carry over from the deep bells of Russia, and this piece explored a variety of these bells. The first movement was based on sleigh bells (light and childlike), the second was on wedding bells (full and solemn), the third was based on alarm bells (just wait until you see the translation for this - Maestro Kahane described it as scary - true because of the music, not just the translation and I think most of us in the chorus would agree that scary is accurate, lol - but I think Mary Louise captured it best when she described it as a mid-life crisis), the fourth and final movement was based on funeral bells. But in the end, there is peace and I love that I could hear and understand each of these shifts in the music. For me, it's always exciting when you really can read the music.

It was a unique experience, and the piece grew in leaps and bounds for me as I got more comfortable with the language (and how to spit out that many consonants at one time)! Ultimately, I don't feel that we did it justice the way that we do with pieces that are more common...there were some places where truly I was just praying that we would all wind up in the same spot at the same time. But, I'm on the lookout for the review to see what, if anything, the reviewers had to say about the performance. Our usual supporters were in the audience (I love that they hoot and holler for us no matter how I personally feel about the performance) so that made it a little easier. I can say that I was definitely working - I was kinda gross and sweaty at the end, which always tells me how into the piece I was. Hopefully someday I'll have another chance at The Bells, so that I can try to hone what I've already learned. With a little luck, I can pick up the score tomorrow at lunch so that I can transfer all my notes...not sure I want to start again from scratch next time we do this work, and my notes would be handy!

The second half of the concert for me was the highlight. Olga Kern played the Piano Concerto #2 (if you find it, you'll recognize it. I didn't think I would, and I absolutely did. Hmmm...actually, I need to go download it). That woman is so incredibly gifted and so much fun to watch that I feel fantastically lucky to have even shared a backstage with her. And her gown...seriously, that was a performance gown if I've ever seen one. It was strapless, light yellow with a yellow sash, and yards of tiered lace that actually ended in a train. I swear, if I'd seen more of those performers as a child, I might have been a little more adamant about learning to be a performance artist...if only for the dresses!!!

The one single sad moment occurred at the end of the second movement. Olga had just played the final notes of the movement, notes that were as delicate as they could possibly be and still be heard and the magic in the auditorium was palpable. And one beat after she lifted her hands, as the silence was still settling...someone's cell phone went off. Yep, that's right...it went off on a pitch just a little higher than the last notes of the bar, which completely destroyed that delicious tension the 2nd movement had created. Seriously, people...when they say to turn off all cell phone, watch alarms, or other electronics at the beginning of the show, they're not just announcing for their health. Shoot, they're announcing it for your own health - no one wants to be at the mercy of pissed off theatre goers!

Ok, now that I've vented that...as soon as I find the review, I'll post it, along with the translation. I still need to get the Three Russian Songs on here as well...so all of that coming soon!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Haunted House

So when Lande was here visiting two weekends ago, we got our crew of friends together to do a haunted house. The plan originally started out as a corn maze, but Colyn was sick over the weekend so we didn't want to drag her out into the freezing cold weather we were having over that weekend.

So...we headed off to dinner at Cheesecake Factory downtown (fabulous as always) and then up to Primitive Fear by the dog track in Commerce City. That haunted house gets two thumbs up - it's as good as I remembered it from years ago, with some new twists and turns. My friends let me lead, which is so the best place to be since you get all the scares first (and usually right in your face). I love just letting yourself be scared and screaming like the girl I am! Plus, when you've got a date it's a great reason to hang on...The only down side is how quickly it was over!

Anyway, thought that I'd post the photo of our group to share...we had such a great time!!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Rachmaninoff & Weekend

This weekend was the opening to the Rachmaninoff Festival and the first show of the season for the CSO Chorus. Our part in the performance was fairly short with the Three Russian Songs and it went as well as could be expected considering the difficulty of the language. The big piece is next weekend - The Bells - and should be a pretty fantastic performance (well, we hope). The third movement, the scherzo, is written for the chorus...and that's unusual, because it's typically so fast and lively. So, we will be singing fast & lively in Russian - it will be a unique experience!

As for the rest of the weekend, I was lucky enough to spend it resting, playing frisbee in the sun, going to an improv show downtown, and then today reading in the park for a couple of hours. It was so relaxing and so needed, especially considering how hectic last weekend was (Lande was here to visit and we just talked and talked...until 2am each night). But I'll admit, the lack of sleep was totally worth it and I can't wait to see him again in November!

A couple of pictures of our beautiful and unseasonably warm day:


My spot in the park - it was very comfy :)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Wednesday Funny

I have had a brutal week this week - too much to do, too little time, and so worked up over it all that I'm not sleeping right. Add to it the nerves and excitement about Lande's visit this weekend, and some of the challenges I've had with a couple of organizational things around that and it's a small miracle that the men in the white coats haven't come after me yet.

But then, this afternoon, I got an email from a client that was so ridiculous that all I could do was laugh. It said (among a couple of other things):

"I've changed the radio buy on a couple of stations in x, is that ok?" (not including the town because I haven't learned yet how big brother blogger is and don't really feel like risking my job over a funny anecdote).

Really? REALLY? This location is so small town, that my client literally called up his pals at the stations and asked them to move the schedule around without telling us a thing about it!! Especially hilarious because (A) we traffic their radio spots, so if we don't know that the schedule has changed it's likely the stations won't have anything to air and (B) we check the billing to make sure it's right before we send it on to the client for payment. Imagine what THAT bill would have looked like without the heads up! LOL!!

I'm not being sarcastic here at all - this completely had me laughing at my desk because it was so OUT there that someone would pay an agency to do the work, and then just go and shift everything around without even telling them!

Awesome!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Adventures in Plumbing - Part II

I did it!!! I replaced my whole garbage disposal and a corroded pipe, by myself, and in only about 3 hours. I am so proud, I actually did a little celebration dance when I was done! I will admit, there was one step that inspired some interesting swear words all strung together...seating the darn thing where it belonged and then trying to push the metal connector ring onto the attachment while turning it was near impossible - either two tabs would catch but not the third or I couldn't get the whole disposal in straight - and this thing is HEAVY. I think I pulled every shoulder muscle while trying to hold this thing with one hand while pushing and twisting with the other. But...VICTORY!!! :-)

Here's my old nasty one (see afore mentioned duct tape):


Here's my kitchen/temporary disaster area with the kick-ass tool kit that Mindy gave me for Christmas last year. I wouldn't have been able to do this without the kit!!



And here's my bright shiny new one, with the new pipe included:


Oh, and just because it wouldn't be complete - here's Lucy taking over where I left off. She was determined to help by chasing screws or trying to sit on me while I was working:

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Girl Power!

This is going to sound really random, I know, but I discovered there's nothing like buying a garbage disposal and a baby gift all in one day. Talk about girl power!

I hit the hardware store early this afternoon (it was supposed to be early this morning, but I woke up feeling like a**...sux when there's so much to do) and the man who helped me was so nice. I love Home Depot for exactly that reason. No one there treats you like a girl who knows nothing unless you admit you're a girl who knows nothing! And at least I'd looked at all the ins and outs of my garbage disposal - literally - and had written down the details before I went to the store...so that definitely helped.

Anyway, he took me over and gave me a general run-down of the tools I would probably need and how it all worked together. Then, as we were heading to the register he gave me what I would consider great advice: "Get yourself some beer or wine and go to work on it...and just be patient!"

Now that is a man after my own heart :-)

More to report after I actually get started on the process...hopefully tomorrow morning when I wake up full of energy (knock on wood)!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Avs Game - Opening Night

I am one lucky girl. Every now and then (and more then than now) my job will net me some awesome perks, and last night - Avs Opening Night - was a prime example.

My friend Dawn and I went to the game and tried to make it to the party beforehand which my fabulous rep invited us to. We finally made it in close to the end of the party, but still made it in time to enjoy a premium adult beverage each and that fantastic spread offered by Capital Grille (if you've never been there, it's definitely a treat). All of this happened under arena and on the level of the ice, and the decor was really beautiful - maroon table clothes (of course!) and ice blue lights shining everywhere.

Finally, we hustled upstairs because of the ceremony...they were retiring Joe Sakic's jersey number and raising it to sit beside Bourke and Roy's numbers at the rafters. It was such a neat thing to be a part of - they tracked his whole entrance to the arena, through the locker room, greeting teammates and coaches, and then the speeches and presentations with his whole family on hand. I can't believe that Super Joe is retiring, but I suppose in the long run a 20 year career in a sport that can be as rough as hockey is really a pretty great achievement.

But...for all of us fans, he'll be missed!


The game itself went well - I think it was more that the Sharks sucked than the Avs were really excellent at this point - but we scored quickly and kept it up. Avs won, 5-2.

Ahhhh - I LOVE hockey games!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Adventures in Plumbing

I swear, sometimes the universe is just out there conspiring against you! My house is slowly but surely falling apart...it makes me wonder if there's some rule that at the 5 1/2 year mark everything needs to be replaced. My garbage disposal is going to get replaced this weekend - I'm not sure how old it is, but it has actually corroded through so that when you run it it sprays water like a sprinkler. In keeping with my trying to be more frugal (not to mention the fact that I don't have a CLUE what I'm doing when it comes to plumbing), I decided the best way to fix it would be to use duct tape on the holes.

Let me just say...this does not work. It does, however, force the water downward into a bucket so at least my entire undersink area does not wind up like the shore at low tide (meaning: damp with a weird, unidentifiable smell).

So, this weekend I'm digging in...going to buy a new disposal and attempt to put it in by myself. I should blog about how that goes, because I'm sure it's going to be interesting!

Then, this morning my toilet tank decided to quit holding water. I think before too long the sound of running water is going to put me on anti-anxiety pills...when I heard that sound as I climbed out of the shower this morning, my whole gut clenched because I thought I had just fixed this problem a few months ago! So apparently it's back to the drawing board. Here's hoping I don't have to take the entire inside of the tank apart again, and that it's just the flapper.

I am so wishing right now that I were back to renting!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Time Traveler's Wife

After having a very hectic week (which still isn't over), I was grateful to get a break last night for some entertainment. I drove down to the Springs and met my SIL Asha for a girls movie night, and we went to see The Time Traveler's Wife. As adaptations go, I thought this was one of the best that I've seen in a long time. There were, of course, some of my favorite scenes from the book missing, but I understand they can't translate an entire 546 page novel to the screen. However, in terms of what they were able to bring to life, they really caught the essence of the novel without veering away from the plot like too many other adaptations do (Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone? Not even CLOSE to the book). The movie is very definitely not an action flick, so it's not as fast paced or high-drama as what it seems like people expect. But the pace of the movie fits for the story that's being told.

I love how unique the plotline is for this novel, and even re-reading the book close to the viewing of the movie didn't take anything away for me. This one is a must-own when it comes out, and is totally worth seeing if you have a chance.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

CSO Reaudition

The reaudition yesterday is over, thank goodness. I hate auditions SO much and it's even worse when you have to do it in front of your Grammy-winning director with no one else to sing with you. I don't think they'll kick me out, but I did ask for reconsideration to the Alto 1 part. I'm happiest at the Soprano II level, but know that I have challenges in the top of my range...and as long as they'll let me keep singing, I'll be fine. I wonder how to build confidence with this stuff, and assume it has to do with getting used to auditions so that they're not so terrifying. It only adds to the frustration that when you're nervous, they never hear how good you really can be!

I really hope that it's another 3 years before this comes up again. But, my friends all are the best and let me vent and call to check in on me...so as stressed as I am between work and this re-audition, I'm so lucky to feel loved!!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Vienna

We headed out on the coaches for Vienna in the morning and, having been able to sit right behind the driver for our tour of Budapest, I decided it would be worth stalking the bus in order to snag those seats again for my roommate and I. Part of it is that I'm much more comfortable if I can see out the front window, and the other part was that we really wanted to be able to see the countryside as we made the trip! It was well worth the effort, since the landscape was lush and rolling, dotted with poppies and vineyards and occasionally, the huge windmill farms.

Before making it into Vienna, we did take a break at a rest stop maybe two hours into the drive. Those Europeans really know how to do a rest stop - it included a variety store for snacks and sodas as well as connecting to a cafeteria-type area where you could pick up fresh sandwiches, soups, salads and so much more. At this point, we were out of Hungary and so our forints were no longer any use to us and we needed to find a way to either spend enough on a credit card or use an ATM to pull out some euros. Fortunately, there wasn't a high minimum for the plastic which was good news since the ATM at that location didn't take any of the Visa-based ATM cards.

We also were introduced to the concept of paid toilets at this rest stop, which I definitely found a little odd. You paid the lady outside the restroom and then you were able to go in. Now, when I think of tipping restroom attendants here, it's usually the folks who handle the nice towels, wipe down the vanity, and manage all the little cologne bottles/mouthwash/etc. The difference in Europe is that you didn't get anything but use of the restroom for your money (in those cases, I'll admit it was money well spent)...although for the most part, the restrooms we clean. One of my friend's had her 14 year old daughter with her, and she was fascinated with all the different toilet types we came across - I think she was documenting with photos, LOL.

After leaving the rest stop we easily cruised the rest of the way into Vienna and actually arrived at a fairly reasonable time - around 3pm. Brandy and I headed immediately to our room to get ourselves organized and then decided that with only a day and a half in this amazing town, we needed to head out to explore as soon as possible. So after ooohhing and ahhhing over our room (white and blue, with a huge window that went all the way to the ceiling) we hit the sidewalks.

It was overcast during the afternoon so our photos weren't spectacular, but we had a ball taking in the sites. Our first priority was to taste the Viennese coffee and pastries we had heard so much about, so we visited Cafe Landtmann - one of the oldest and best known cafes in Vienna. It didn't hurt that it was literally two minutes away from our hotel! The coffee was truly to die for, and I had a strawberry cake the likes of which I can't imagine I would find anywhere else. Whether that is because it truly was a fantastic piece of food or because I was sitting in the sun with my friend enjoying the snack and a cup of coffee in Vienna amidst buildings that have been around forever...it's hard to say. I will absolutely revisit this cafe when I make it back to Vienna!

Out second priority was to take care of the shopping we wanted to do, so as we walked we kept our eyes open for souvenirs for ourselves and our families. I easily found postcards and my shot glass, and after a little more work found a key chain for my brother. We also stumbled upon this cute little shop which featured unique crafts and jewelry - I found a ring out of Italian glass that I immediately feel in love with and which reminds me of Vienna when I wear it now.

We strolled past the city building, the university, the Hapsburg palace and grounds, St. Peter's Church, and the primary shopping area in the center of the circle formed by Ringstrasse (the major road that goes around the middle of the city - all of the buildings mentioned above can be accessed by walking along the Ringstrasse). For fashion and unique boutiques, Vienna was the best place of all the cities we visited.

Finally, we made it to the Stephensplatz and the Stephensdome, which is where we were scheduled to perform the next day. When you can actually use the spires to help guide you to the location, it gives you a hint of exactly how large the structure really is...and then when you walk into the open area around the cathedral, it really takes your breath away. By this time, I was practically bouncing out of my flip-flops with excitement, because next to the performance hall in Budapest the idea of performing in such a sacred space with so much history was almost too much to get my mind around. They actually had a banner on the Cathedral advertising our concert, so of course Brandy and I had to take photos of that!

The inside of the church was cavernous - it just went on forever. After taking a quick look, we headed back out in the rain which had just started, continued shopping and wandering and finally made it back to the hotel to meet the rest of our group for dinner.

Dinner was an event all by itself - we ate at a little place just up from the hotel recommended by the folks at the front desk and truly splurged on an elegant meal. Regional wine, pork chops, potatoes and veggies, bread and the best chocolate mousse ever! We were there at least three hours, taking our time and enjoying all of the different flavors. That's something that we were very aware of in all of the cities we visited - mealtime was very relaxed, and we could never get the check when we asked for it so usually meals were even longer than we intended them to be. Usually, that wasn't a problem but on the rare occasion that we needed to grab something and then get to rehearsal it was nearly impossible to do!

We headed back to get some shuteye after dinner so that we'd be ready to go on the guided tour the next day along with rehearsal and performance.

More to follow...will update with the rest of Vienna soon!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Budapest

You know, I'm realizing I'm not very good at keeping up with this! I need to try harder and start updating on my lunch breaks, since I don't really spend time on my computer when I'm at home (that whole spending 8-10 hours on a computer at work makes me want to avoid it at home).

So...taking over where I left off on my last entry - Budapest! Once we finally arrived, it was SO wonderful to be there. We went immediately to dinner at a restaurant called The Citadel located on Gellert Hill. The building had previously been a fortress, built in 1851 and now converted, and with the concrete walls and the winding corridors you could really feel the history. The restaurant also boasted a fantastic view of the city.

(The Danube and Castle Quarter at Night)

We tried the various Hungarian dishes made available (I didn't write down the details of the food as well as I should have), and I have to admit I'm not sure I was a big fan of the food. It may have been the mixed textures, but there wasn't anything specific I found in the traditional dishes that really blew me away. Still, I tried it all...

They also brought in live music for us to enjoy. Ironically, a lot of what they played were familiar tunes, but the quartet was entertaining and a great way to end the night.


(Quartet playing after dinner at the Citadel)

Finally...bedtime! After the flight, that might have been the most exciting moment of the day :-). The hotel in Budapest was nice, not extraordinarly big, but enough for our needs. It's true what they say - the air conditioning is a whole different story in Europe. It really didn't work fantastically well, but that seemed to be par for the course. Fortunately, we were so tired it didn't seem to matter.

Day two was our full day to explore the city. We kicked it off with a guided bus tour (the tour company arranged to have these in each city), where we revisited the Citadel during the daylight hours, then went on to the castle quarter and Hero Square.

The Citadel was just as amazing in the daylight, and at this point we learned the story of Gellert Hill. Gellert was a missionary in 1000 A.D. who was tasked with bringing the Hungarian people to Christianity. This did not go over so well with the pagen leaders of the time, so they nailed Gellert into a barrel and rolled him down the hill and into the Danube. As our tour guide said when we all gasped,"They had many worse ways to kill people at that time, so maybe this was not so bad for him!" LOL. Our tour guide was a young woman born and raised in Budapest - Katie - who totally rocked!!



The Castle Quarter is home to Matthias Church, which is one of the main features of the area. There were several museums located in this area as well as Fisherman's Bastian, which is the square located outside of the church. From this vantage point, there was a wonderful view of the Parliament building across the Danube...and really, the church itself was truly spectacular with all of the mosaic work on the roof. Also located in this area was a building which had been completely destroyed on the inside during World War II (used as the armory). The building was left standing, unfixed with bullet holes still marring the outside, as a reminder of the damage. Even beyond the Castle Quarter, nearly 90% of the city was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt.


.......(Looking down the street in the Castle Quarter)................................................... (Inside Matthias Church)


..........(St. Stephen in the Fisherman's Bastian).............................................. (Looking around the edge of the Fisherman's Bastian)


...........(Across the Danube at the Parliament Building).............................................. (Part of Matthias Church)


.........(the Turul Bird on the top of one of the spires).................................... (Another photo of Matthias Church - mosaic on the roof)



Hero Square was our final stop for the day. This was a square in the middle of the city built for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary in 1896 of the Hungarians arrival in the present-day location.


..................(Wide shot of Hero's Square).................................................. (Statues around the base of the center tower)

Living in a country that is 233 years old, it is almost impossible to get your mind around a country's celebration that is 4 digits. It's just such a remarkably different point of view, and they've been through so much during their history. It also makes the things that you learn from your history books so much more real, when you can actually lay eyes on the effect.

My roommate and I spent the second half of the day wandering around the pedestrian market, where we found all kinds of trinkets to bring home. My favorite items were the table runners, table cloths and all manner of doilies out of lace or linen, with intricate handwork on them usually including poppies (which is the national flower). The primary colors really made them pop, and I brought one home for me (a small lace one) and one for my parents (a linen table runner).


(The pedestrian mall)


(Flooding on the Danube - this added to traffic levels in the city)

Dinner that night was on our own, and we visited a small hole in the wall down from the hotel. The food was inexpensive (compared to here) and was amazing - I had a turkey dish with a plum sauce. And the dessert - it was a type of crepe with chocolate and a liquer to make it flame, with whipped cream. To die for!

Day 3 was the day of the rehearsal in concert, but we had the morning open. Unfortunately, I was really pretty ill from the time I woke and still forced myself down to try to eat breakfast (that didn't go so well). But, we had missed the bath house (which I really wanted to do) and we were going to see St. Stephen's Basilica and there was no way I was going to miss out. So I tried to pull it together, and off we went to the tube station!

We explored the church, which was magnificent...so ornate. The most interesting (and slightly creepy) part is the fact that they have the right forearm of St. Stephen encased in a relic in the back chapel. We had to put money in to make it light up, so that we could take pics (no flashes allowed in the church), and honestly - we had no idea what we were taking pictures of. But later, when you zoomed in on the digital cameras...you could definitely make out the mummified hand. We also took the stairs up into the roof of the church, and walked around the outside. This offered a great 360 degree view of the city with photo ops in all directions. At about that point, I couldn't take any more and opted to head back to the hotel rather than on to the cafe, in hopes of recovering before the performance.

At the National Concert Hall, we had our rehearsal (painful, since I still wanted to curl up and die rather than exert the effort to sing) and after practice a traditional Hungarian women's group came in and performed for us. It was fantastic and I can't believe how well they projected without hurting themselves!

Finally - the concert. The concert went well, and they actually made a recording for us from that particular show. The very best part was that at the end, instead of a standing ovation, slowly the clapping all came together so that it was in unison. Then, once it was in unison, it began to speed up. The energy from that response was amazing, and it was unlike any response we'd received anywhere else. I learned later that it's an Eastern European tradition, and although we didn't run into it in Vienna or Prague, it was the most incredible way to kick off our concert tour.

More on Vienna, Litomysl, and Prague when I can write another novel detailing all of the adventures...I swear, I'm trying to be detailed not just for you guys reading but for myself. There was so little time to sleep that although I tried to journal, I didn't make it far before I realized that I just couldn't cram it in...so this is my own record of the trip as well!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Europe - The Flight

The only way I think I'm going to be able to translate the trip onto this blog is going to be in bits and pieces, so I'm going to start at the beginning and work my way through. And believe me when I say that the flight was an adventure in itself!

We arrived at DIA just after 8am for an 11am flight, per our instructions for international travel. This actually worked out, because I discovered when I arrived at the airport that I was on the same flight not only with my roommate Brandy but with a couple of our other friends as well. After getting our special bag tags and sending our luggage along to be loaded, we grabbed breakfast and prepared for the initial leg of our flight: from Denver to Houston.

That flight was actually very smooth, and I had the pleasure of sitting beside two of the guys in our chorus - David & Alex - both of whom were knowledgeable, sarcastic, and completely entertaining. Not having met either of them before (rehearsal is all about singing and we don't really get to socialize much outside of those who sit right beside us), it was a good start to the trip getting to know some new people.

We landed in Houston and for some reason, there were a chunk of us who had only received boarding passes for the first leg of the flight. This meant that we had about an hour to get to the next gate (not a problem) and get our new boarding passes for the transatlantic flight (a little more of a challenge - there were a lot of us). Once that was squared away, we boarded the Air France plane (a 777 - 3 seats, aisle, 4 seats, aisle, 3 seats) and got settled. I was near the front in a middle seat on the left side of the plane between two people not in the chorus and far, far away from the rest of the crew. Not really an issue, since I had hopes of sleeping my way across the Atlantic so that I'd be ready for the 8 hour time change when we got to Paris. After a 40 minute delay on the runway, we were off!

Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that sleep wasn't really going to happen for me. First, I was tired but I was also kind of jazzed up for my first-ever transatlantic flight! Then, there was the food. I like food, and wasn't going to accidentally sleep through the dinner meal...and I'm glad I didn't. The food was really very good, and I learned that they give you wine (or various other adult beverages) on these long flights. I asked for water, and then the guy next to me asked for red wine and I exclaimed to him,"You can do that??" He laughed and said,"This is Air France, of course they have wine!" And I immediately asked for one to go with my dinner...awesome!

After dinner, they dimmed the lights and I decided to grab some shut-eye...before I discovered the movies in the backs of the seats. They had everything, so I thought I'd watch until I dozed off, but no such luck. Unfortunately, I must have picked some bug up on the first flight because 1/2 way through the 8.5 hour flight my nose started running and I was blowing my nose like mad. I tried to hide it and just rest, but felt even more self-conscious because the woman on my other side was wearing a mask and I just KNEW it was because of people like me, lol.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, although 8+ hours of sitting is tough. We arrived in Paris with only 30-45 minutes to make our connection due to the delay out of Houston, and we had to run nearly the full length of the airport. I have NEVER been in an airport that size - I swear it felt like miles. We had to all go through and get our passports stamped, through security again because we had to switch entire concourses, and though most of us were running by the time we got to the assigned gate there was no plane.

We all lined up to get reassigned to a different flight and discovered that we were going to be stuck in Charles De Gaulle for 6 more hours before our next flight. None of us had slept, I was sneezing and blowing my nose to beat the band, and now we were stuck in an unairconditioned bomb-shelter looking airport. As cool as I've always dreamed Paris would be, you would never know by their airport!

(Me being grateful to be on the ground in Paris)

My friend Sheri had everything you could ever possibly need (it's so good to have friends who pack that well!), and since my cold seemed more like allergies we thought it would be a good idea if I tried a Benedryl. Um...wrong move, lol. I went catatonic about 1/2 hour after that - the poor lunch waitress had to ask me 3 times if I wanted gas in my water or flat before I understood what she was getting at. All I can say is that after that, I could have slept anywhere and the chairs with my backpack as a pillow were perfectly acceptable.

Finally - FINALLY - we caught our connection to Budapest and I don't think there's ever been a group of people so happy to arrive. We had been travelling for nearly 25 hours at that point, most of us with very little sleep. We collected our luggage, pulled money from the ATM, and hopped on the coach where our courier told us we were 20 minutes from the hotel and we should have a little more than an hour to get ready for dinner.

(Brandy, me, Melissa and Sheri - finally there!)

Then, the bus driver got lost. 20 minutes turned into 40, and by the time we got to the hotel we had 35 minutes to get both roommates through the shower and back onto the buses for dinner.

Let the record show that people could tell who all traveled on Air France - we were the ones who looked like we'd been through a battle and might take your head off when asked how our flight was. The groups on Lufthansa and British Airways had both been planned better - they had left several hours after we did and arrived several hours before.

But, thank God we got the nice restaurant that night...because that helped make the misadventure worthwhile. I'll take up in Budapest on the next entry :-)

Return!

I am back from all the craziness that has been this summer! Europe was probably the most amazing thing I have done to date in my life, and I will detail out the trip once I have a second to get all regrouped. This last weekend was my friend Colyn's wedding up in Red Feather, which was like something out of a fairy tale...the scenery was some of the most beautiful I've seen in Colorado (Beaver Meadows Resort), and the bride and groom just glowed at each other. It was so clearly a wedding that was meant to be and I was sooo excited to be part of it. Plus, it helped that the entire wedding party just clicked, so even when the Colyn and Aaron were off doing their own things, we were still having a blast!

More on all this later, with pictures once I get my new upgraded camera and get my computer worked out so that I can download the 900 pictures I now have on the memory card!!

(Photos of Colyn and Aaron & of the group doing the scavenger hunt the day before the wedding)


Tuesday, June 9, 2009

19 Minutes Book Review

I just finished Jodi Picoult's book 19 Minutes for a second read. This book is powerful, and especially so for someone who was only slightly removed from Columbine in 1999. As I get older, I find that difficult subject matters such as those discussed in this book affect me more and more. All I can figure is that I'm now at a place where I can better understand - and allow myself to feel - the emotions in the storyline. The fear, the changed lives, and the humanity are all so convincingly portrayed - and so much of it brings ghosts of reminders from news articles read in the past. Last time I read this book, I must have been more protective of myself and did not allow myself to be pulled into the story. This time I cried.

It's well written, the way all of Jodi Picoult's books are...but this one is hard to read as just a story when so much school violence is splashed across the news. Truly, it's a thought-provoking storyline taken from an unusal angle and is worth the read; however, I do think with this particular book it's important to know what the storyline is before starting, so that you can mentally prepare.

Anyone who wants more details let me know...always happy to discuss books!!

Orphaned Tweets

I have failed, utterly and completely, at my test on Twitter. I go on there once a week (if that) and poke around, but just don't see the point of having an account since I don't feel the need to project my every activity to all of cyberspace. I will admit that I like seeing what the celebrities are up to, and have been following some of my favorite authors...it's neat to think that someone so well known could potentially have a personal conversation with you. But otherwise, I'm happy with my Facebook investment and will probably let my Tweets fade away into oblivion.

Here's an interesting article about Twitter, which discusses the fact that most of the tweets are made by very few. And some of the orphaned tweets listed made me smile. Enjoy!

http://www.slate.com/id/2219995/

Monday, June 8, 2009

Mahler II

Over the weekend, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the CSO Chorus wrapped our 25th Anniversary season...and what a way to go out. Mahler's Second Symphony in C minor - The Resurrection Symphony - was performed Friday, Saturday and Sunday this past weekend, and it was my first experience of the piece. I am grateful to have been able to perform the work under Maestro Jeffrey Kahane - his understanding of the piece and his explanation to the audience prior to the start of the performace was a wonderful bonus.

If you're unfamiliar with this music, it is a HUGE work. Nearly every section is doubled, and it was hard to believe they got all those people onto a single stage. And there is so much happening in the music that it took me until Sunday afternoon to truly enjoy the performance. I think I was so overwhelmed the first two times we went through the piece that I had trouble absorbing everything that the music had to say. This actually leads to an interesting note that was mentioned in the introduction. In the score, Mahler noted at the end of the first movement that "there is to be a pause here of at least five minutes". Maestro Kahane projected that there might be two reasons for this - 1. the music was so new and unique for its time that the audience could take at least that long to recover from what they had just heard or 2. Mahler wanted the audience to experience a little of what eternity might feel like!

While the chorus plays a small part in the symphony - we sing only in the final movement - it brings the beautiful lyrics, full of hope, to life.

In English (text is sung in German)
Rise again, yes, rise again,
Will you My dust,
After a brief rest!
Immortal life! Immortal life
Will He who called you, give you.
To bloom again were you sown!
The Lord of the harvest goes
And gathers in, like sheaves,
Us together, who died.
O believe, my heart, O believe:
Nothing to you is lost!
Yours is, yes yours, is what you desired
Yours, what you have loved
What you have fought for!
O believe,
You were not born for nothing!
Have not for nothing, lived, suffered!
What was created
Must perish,
What perished, rise again!
Cease from trembling!
Prepare yourself to live!
O Pain, You piercer of all things,
From you, I have been wrested!
O Death, You masterer of all things,
Now, are you conquered!
With wings which I have won for myself,
In love’s fierce striving,
I shall soar upwards
To the light which no eye has penetrated!
Its wing that I won is expanded,
and I fly up.
Die shall I in order to live.
Rise again, yes, rise again,
Will you, my heart, in an instant!
That for which you suffered,
To God will it lead you!
If you ever have the chance to attend this concert, it's worth the two hours of you life to hear it at least once. And if you're like me, it's worth giving it a second and a third chance, since so much can come of it each time you listen!

Here is the review from the DenverPost - http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_12533305.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Royal Arch Trail - Chautauqua Park

It is finally time to celebrate the return of hiking season! After a spring when the Colorado weather couldn't decide if it was ready to move toward summer or if it was going to stick with snowy winter, we seem to have reached the warm weather with the afternoon thunderstorms. I personally have no complaints about this landing place, since I happen to have a huge soft spot for rain showers!

To usher in summer, I decided that it was time to kick the hiking into gear this weekend and check out a new trail. As luck would have it, an old friend was also available to come explore with me, which just made the adventure that much better. I'm not opposed to hiking alone - in fact, I will do it with no hesitation if that's how things shake out for a particular day - but I happen to think that having the opportunity to catch up with a friend while enjoying the scenery is not one to be passed up! Even through the huffing and puffing that goes with a first-of-the-season hike, there are few venues that make it so easy to share stories about work, kids, family, and hopes/fears for the future.

So onto the hike.

After researching a truckload of trails in and around Boulder, I stumbled onto Royal Arch because it happened to be the right length for the time period we had set aside. The trail is 3.5 miles, and everything I read suggested we'd be finished with the round trip in about 3 hours. The descriptions of the trail varied from moderate to strenuous, but because of the fairly short distance I decided that we'd be fine even if it were a more difficult hike.

The trail started at the Chautauqua Park entrance, which I'd been trying to avoid because I'd heard that parking was difficult. However, I'm so glad that we wound up here because with all the hiking I've tried to squeeze in over the last couple of years, I'd never visited Chautauqua Park. For anyone not familiar, my friend hit it right on the head when she said that this is where every major photo of Boulder you see is taken. The parking lot is right on a beautiful meadow that leads straight up into the famous Flatirons.

From the trailhead, the path leads up Bluebird Road to a shelter for picnicking before it begins to hit the incline. Unfortunately for us, all the descriptions I read said nothing about stairs...but we realized right away that we were in for more than some standard switchbacks. Most of the "stairs" were rock outcroppings in the trail which later on changed to log steps hammered into the earth - most likely to help with erosion, what with the pitch of the trail. Regardless, the end result was a lot of stepping up to get to our end destination.

Even with the unexpected stairs, this is a beautiful hike. The majority of the trail winds through trees, with the occassional small creek crossing. Once you pass the false summit (which fooled me, and from what I could tell fooled some of the other folks we encountered on the trail), there are sweeping views of Boulder and the surrounding area just there for the taking. And when you finally reach the end point of the hike, the Arch and the views offered are completely worth the effort.



This is definitely a heavily populated trail, but the trip didn't seem to bottleneck until close to the end of the climb where the trail is more narrow. However, there are plenty of places to step off and let people pass if so inclined.



My personal take on the trail is that I would do it again - it's a good workout, and even having to park on a side street allowed for easy access to the park. My only hesitation would be the amount of people on the trail - as unlikely as it would seem, I actually ran into a co-worker headed up as we were headed back down. Since we work in south Denver (a good 40 minutes from Boulder), that was definitely unexpected!

Overall, though, a great hike with a good friend followed by lunch at The Sink (if you've never tried it, it's a fun novelty in Boulder - great pizza & beer, but that's another blog) made for a wonderful Saturday...and I can't wait to do it again!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Twilight Book Review

Twilight has become a pop-culture phenomenon, one which I completely ignored until recently. Like with the Harry Potter series (which I eventually fell in love with), I didn't want to be one of the early adapters who jumped on the bus just because everyone around me was adding to the buzz. I had seen the Twilight trailer in the theatres last summer and had written it off as another lame teen flick with very little to say - and that was the last I gave it any thought until it showed up in office conversation.

From time to time, I find it useful to give in and watch a certain TV program or read a certain book just so that I have conversation currency with the people I see every day. In this case, there are two women in my office whose company I truly enjoy who were both taken with the series, so I finally decided to give in and borrow the first book. I knew that the series was intended for young adults, which I didn't hold against it since some of the best literature I've read is directed to that audience. However, I went into the series with very little expectation, not even knowing the basics of the plot.

I was shocked and somewhat embarrassed to discover that early on in the first book, I was captivated by the images I was given and the way the storyline was woven. The star-crossed lovers theme is as old as the hills, and yet the twist of involving the supernatural world completely sucked me in. I had never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, never been drawn in by the promise of vampires (Interview with a Vampire may be the one exception), and I was tearing through this story like there would never be another day to read.

I wanted to know more about Bella and the things that drove her - her feelings, and I was intrigued by Edward and his obviously difficult interest in Bella (really, in a teenage relationship it's hard enough to get anything to go smoothly - and that's without the challenge of wanting to kill the one you love). Maybe it was the intensity of their seemingly doomed love at first sight experience that so caught my imagination, or the description of the two stubborn personalities that made up the main characters...but the end result was that I couldn't wait for the second book.

I understand what the nay-sayers see - the books aren't technically the greatest writing the world has ever seen. And it's not a book that's really intended to set either character up as a role model - Edward has some stalking tendencies that, if you took the fantasy element out of the story, would be extremely disturbing (sneaking in the window to watch her sleep, anyone?) while Bella becomes so obsessed that she blows off all other experiences and relationships. But the book isn't intended to be a moral guide to teenagers - it's not only fiction, it's fantasy! At a certain point, once you've suspended reality I think it's key to suspend it all the way and just see the world as the author intended you to see it.

And in this case, while I was surprised at how attached I became to the series (I expect I'll write something on the three other books and the movie here shortly), I think that it's not a bad thing to find an escape that allows you take a step away from real life and enjoy the romance and adventure of characters who spark the imagination.