Hello old friend.
I have been terrible about posting lately.
I just couldn't figure out when to jump back in and where to start.
But I can't put it off any longer.

I am official done auditioning and applying to schools!
I feel like this has been my main focus since september and it feels so good to be done with it all.
The trips were amazing, so much fun to spend all that time with my husband and to do all the travelling.
On the first trip we drove from florida to chicago then to kentucky then to baltimore down to North Carolina and finally back home to florida. It was intense and fun, so much driving and my first experiences with snow. The first being the tiniest flurry right after my audition in chicago, I cried. I had just had a wonderful audition day and while in the lobby of the school saw tiny flakes falling out the window, I ran outside and spun around and cried. I'm sure all the people walking around are used to this kind of behavior because thankfully no one said anything to me. My second experience with snow was the next night while chris and i were driving through west virginia, it started to snow like crazy. We were on mountain roads with no reflectors and panicking, i was googling what to do in this scenario, how to keep the windows from freezing but being on a mountain in the middle of no where, service was really slow. So we improvised, cracked the windows drove super slow behind a semi but the windows still froze and we had to pull over in a tiny town with no gas station and de ice. luckily we changed to rain ex windshield fluid that can withstand -20 degree weather because one we de iced the sprayers and sprayed the windshield the ice was gone and we could see again. We made it safely to Baltimore around and our comfy hotel bed, i was beat.  tip: although it seems like a good idea to follow a semi truck, stay close to the other cars because semi's drop like flies in snow storms, they just all pull over and need repairs. The audition in Baltimore was good but not like chicago, I loved chicago. The student helpers were not as good at peabody, they changed my audition time for an earlier time, so when i arrived i needed a room asap, but all the oboe rooms where filled..with violin kids! wtf.. so i ended up in a harp room for 10 minutes and went straight to my audition. the room was like 10 degreed warmer then the whole school , my poor oboe, and i was sweating profusely the whole time. Also the dynamic in the room wasn't right, maybe it was because i was so late in the day but i felt unwelcome before i even played a note. The overall audition went well, it was brought up that my transcript hadn't arrived and i ended up having to re-send it, it was the only school where my transcript didn't make it. I loved the school, my tests went well there. It was one of the two that had me take tests early, kentucky also tested me. The tests were fun, I sat next to another girl who was auditioning to be an oboe master student and took dictation and answered ear training questions, then off we went for the written theory exam.  I really liked peabody and would be thrilled if they accepted me, but my experience in chicago was so much better.

Me at Brewers art in Baltimore, post auditions and testing.

The second trip was also really fun, this one was just to kentucky again for my audition and our testing. On this trip we brought the dogs, they holiday in express in lexington allows dogs for 25 extra dollars ( so cheap).

Leaving Florida with the pups. (I drove this time)

This trip is when i fell in love with kentucky. The first time i was unimpressed with the city, it was so plain and nothing like chicago. But the second time i saw all the charms of the little city, the ballet theater downtown, the beautiful campus, and how wonderful a nice snow can be. I guess having more than 1 night in a city can really change your perspective on it. My audition was fine, not my best, but the professor Nermis Mieses was amazing. I loved her, she took chris and i to lunch than coffee and while we spoke at coffee she looked at my oboe and noticed i had FOUR cracks... FOUR! I was miserable, she couldn't figure out how i even played on that oboe. but anyways we went back to her office and she glued up my oboe for me. It seals again and I couldn't have been more impressed with any teacher, she took so much time with me and didn't even know me. She is a really fantastic lady.

Nermis glueing my oboe, ignore my face..

The last audition trip was me alone on a plane to NY. 

I was terrified. I found myself crying again, but this time it was as soon as i stepped onto the terminal. 

I hate planes, i don't hate them as much as i did before this trip but if i can avoid using them I will. 

I missed my first flight by a minute the flight left at 745 i was standing there at 733, the plane left a few minutes early. but i was put on the next flight and we left on time and i arrived safely in NY.

Gypsy cabs were trying to rip me off charging me 50 dollars to get to manhattan in their creepy unmarked cars, so i took a yellow cab and it only cost 35 dollars to get there. 

I met up with chris' brother Dave for a morning beer and a chat. 

I spent the first day roaming the city with my friend Luz who was also in ny visiting her sister. We got lost trying to find a place for lunch spending hours walking and looking up restaurants only finding out while walking up to the door that they aren't open for lunch. It was a fun day of chatting and exploring, I'm really glad she was there. We also made it to china town, my search for a backpack was unsuccessful but i got a nice hat, umbrella, scarf, and gloves out of the trip all for 10 dollars. the only downside was the mcdonalds bathroom which smelt like a litter box that has been neglected to long but this was made up by the most amazing bubble tea i've ever had. 

Luz and i ended up finding lunch at Hidechan Ramen, it was just what we needed after fighting the cold outside for hours, I topped it with the spicy red paste it was wonderful. 

On the way back to Dave and Joans apartment I got lost on the subway. It was a pretty fun adventure, i asked so many people for directions, most of it was wrong but i appreciated there help. At one point I had a european family of four following me because they were headed to the same area, after two wrong trains I had to tell them I was also lost and that the directions I had received were wrong. but whatever, I told them I wasn't from there either and it was my first time trying to figure out the subway.  I had an awesome thai dinner with chris family, I really wish he could've been there with me but it was still fun to explore alone. 

The nest day i took the train to MSM. I was so excited to have found it and to finally go inside. Chris and I tried to see the inside a year before but we were there during finals week so we weren't allowed in. 

The campus was gorgeous and practice rooms were fought for. 

I played oboe for Liang Wang and Stephen Taylor, it was probably the highlight of all my auditioning. And thankfully they didn't ask me for my etudes, i had changed my audition material around and swapped my bach sonata for my silvestrini etudes, which means i picked two new etudes three days before the audition... I am so thankful they didn't ask for them and that my audition went really well:) 

I am more thankful for Dr. Mieses fixing my oboe the week before, which allowed me to even play the audition at all. 

I'm sorry if this post was really long and babbley. 

I just wanted to get that all out so i can move on and blog about other things. 

Did i mention i got accepted to 3 schools already? Chicago college of performing arts, UK, and Bowling green state university. I was so excited to find this out, and I got scholarship offers at all of them! 

If only chicago wasn't so expensive..

I'll post about MSM and Peabody as soon as i find out. 

-bea

p.s. the formatting on this post isn't working for me.. I always have issues with pictures and text. I have no idea what is happening so I'm sorry

My week in photos

My Grandmothers birthday was this week and a large group of us took her out to a nice dinner. she told so many stories. There was even an opera singer, who refused to sing German because it was an Italian restaurant but than offered to sing french and Spanish songs to the table next to us..

I had my first taste of Haggis at the Highland games.

Watched a few interesting sports. I don't know what this is called but they had to fling a ball of hay about two stories high and they just kept raising the bar. I think they said the hay weights about 80 pounds?

so many kilts.

There was even a station where children could throw hatchets.

I got a new thumb rest , the Ton Kooiman etude2. Hoping it helps with my thumb pain and wrist problems..
and yes, the Christmas tree is still up..

I've been getting up around seven thirty every day this week and finally started getting two to three hours in before lunch. 

been studying more for my entrance exams.

Chris has a concert this weekend so when he gets home he usually puts a few hours in and i study or act like a creeper until he is done.

I made a new recipe for vegan cranberry strawberry bread. I'll post the recipe later this week.

With my new added free time because i've been getting stuff done earlier I've had more cuddle time with the pups:)

Music Monday ( Inauguration day)

Hope everyone had a wonderful day whether they had the day off or had to work (my husband had to work today).

Did you watch the inauguration this morning?  I stumbled upon it this morning, just like i did the one four years ago. I don't have a t.v. , which is my reasoning to why I didn't know it was happening, truth is i think I forgot and got lucky.

Four years ago I also stumbled upon the inauguration when I showed up at a friends Rollins dorm in the morning because my class had been cancelled.  I walked in and saw everyone sitting around the t.v, I had never watched an inauguration before and didn't think it was a big deal. forgive me, I was eighteen and just started slightly paying attention to politics, I'm terrible.
But it was really exciting and it still felt very exciting today.
I sat at my kitchen table making reeds and finishing a reed case and took it all in.
I took a picture of those too..

Some of my favorite moments were

1. President Obama's stutter when repeating the oath. The commentary the whole morning was harping on the first inauguration and how Obama had to re-do the oath, and right before he began the oath the commentator said he hoped it went better this year.  It was pretty cute and such an easy word.

2. Richard Blanco's poem. I love that they ask poets to write something new for this event and that the poet gets to read it to the crowd. and i love that poetry is even a part of the presidential inauguration.

3. I love Beyonce, this love goes back to destiny's child and my childhood. I was so glad she was a part of today's festivities.

and this brings me to the point of this music Monday post.
In the playlist is the video of the performance this morning and my favorite beyonce song.




HAPPY MONDAY!

Oboe Friday.

So last night I made myself an extra reed case.
There are a couple of Altoid reed cases for purchase on the internet, but I wanted it immediately.
I have no patience..
If i could make my own cell phone cases I would. But for the low price of four dollars I'll wait for my shipments from Hong Kong.
I have been using this old broken case for my in process not fully broken in reeds. The case had to be tied shut and sometimes for open and new reeds would be scattered in my bag and I would want to cry. Finally after this happened multiple times ( I don't learn the first time) I decided it was time for another case.

Anyways I chose this foam material in black and pink and tried to figure it out.
It is definitely not perfect but I think it came out pretty decent.
There was a lot of trial and error when it came to the "ribbon" which hold the reeds but  I think I figured out.
The next one will be much cleaner and more precise because I wont make it at 11 pm when I'm tired and frustrated.
Also I can make just about any color combination which is pretty exciting.
One can never have enough reed storage.

I'm also playing around with different materials and cases. So we will see what happens.
Ill keep you updated.

If you read this and want one let me know:)

I'll also update in a couple of weeks about how this holds up.

 And just because I thought it was pretty awesome here is a video of Christopher Redgate performing a piece he wrote for himself. The Sting of the Bee.

oboewhelmed.

Can a person be too ambitious?
I want to audition for what I feel are the best schools for oboe is it really that bad?
I have one or two backups and i might possibly just waste money but at least i'll know that I'm not good enough.and that i need to do even more to get there.
Plus who knows maybe I am good enough. Maybe I have some really good qualities that a teacher might want to work and develop. I know im not amazing and I have a lot of flaws in my playing but I work hard and I work smart and I've come along way in the past few years..
I don't want to settle on grad school. I want to be made to feel small again, I want competition, I want higher expectations set on me, and  I want to be surrounded by people who want the same things as me.  I dont believe a lot of competition is good in music but i need to feel that fire in my belly that somehow takes me past my limits and brings me to new levels in my playing. That feeling of true inspiration.
I want to be able to play chamber music with all my friends instead of them always wanting to do something trivial like getting coffee or seeing a movie.
which i love but if i can spend almost all of my time making music I might just get to the position in life im longing for.  I want to be an artist on the oboe not just a girl who plays the oboe for a living.

I dont know if this makes sense, but I'm stressed and ready for a new adventure..