PIECE OF MIND

I'm back!

2009-01-04T19:10:00.001-08:00

And married!

Pictures from Ike

2008-09-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we lost the charger for Cory's camera and therefore couldn't take pictures of Ike. But this link pretty much says it all. The images of Surfside Beach and downtown Houston hit very close to home.

More Ike Aftermath

2008-09-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is what the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands looked like before Ike:

This is what it looks like now:

Ike-tastic

2008-09-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey, I'm sorry to have made you badger me for so long about writing a new blog. Life is just generally chaotic at the moment.

Wedding stuff is going okay. As of today we're exactly 3 1/2 months away (who's counting?) but it feels like it's tomorrow. At least my anxiety level would make it appear as if it was tomorrow. I'm a pretty detail-oriented person, but even this is kicking my butt. I'm mostly ready for it to be over. I just want to wear my pretty dress :)

I was down and out for a bit battling a sinus infection for a couple of weeks. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. The doc put me on a cocktail of stuff and eventually I got through it. Unfortunately I was sick the week before the season opened...great timing!

And I have a new niece as of yesterday! Samara (pronounced Sum-ar-uh) Jade was brought into the world yesterday evening, weighing 6 lbs 3 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. You couldn't find a happier aunt! I wish my schedule would allow me to get up to Pittsburgh to see the little squirt, but I don't think it'll happen until Thanksgiving.

And as you all know, we've had our hands full with Ike. Cory and I both had Friday off as we prepared for Ike to roll in. We filled up the bathtub, bought tons of groceries and water, and made sure the candles, flashlights, and radios were ready to go. The wind really started to pick up around 9pm. Cory and I sat on the porch while he smoked a cigar and watched the clouds move in their weird circular patterns. Around midnight the winds started to get up to about 50 mph, so we came in and watched through the windows. About 3 am we lost power, and around 5 am the wind was so loud and terrifying that I moved into the closet and fell asleep. When I woke up at 8 am Saturday morning it had pretty much run its course. Cory and I were the irresponsible folks who went driving around to see the damage. Buffalo Bayou was covering Allen Parkway, Memorial Drive and parts of I-10. We also lost water pressure that day and had to start taking wonderfully cold sponge baths. Monday afternoon we finally got power and water back, so we're some of the lucky ones. A good 1.5 million Houstonians still don't have power. I go back to work tomorrow to deal with lots of cancelled performances and confused patrons.

Thankfully my parents' house in Angleton is fine. They have cancelled school for most of the week, but as a whole the community is okay. Lots of fallen trees and wind damage, but their power has been restored and my cat made it through okay.

Thanks to those of you who sent frantic phone calls and texts throughout the experience. Cell service was really spotty so I'm sorry if I didn't respond right away. It will be a long recovery process, but Houstonians are ready to get after it.

-s

:-/

2008-07-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've gotta admit, the blog is losing its appeal to me.

Unlike the fab John Mackey and Lyric Hassler, I don't have pictures of new houses, cats, and adorable babies. And I know from experience how boring blogs are without pics. So I apologize for my few and far between posts...I have a hard time believing people want to hear about what's going on in my life, seeing as it's all wedding, work, and wedding.

Regardless, here goes. We now have a florist and photographer, so I'm glad to be done with both of those. Cake testing begins in several weeks, and then I start dealing with the uphill battle of narrowing down a guest list and getting invitations printed.

Upcoming plans: For July 4, Cory and I will drive down to Angleton for a cookout with my parents. I think we're doing a shrimp and crab leg boil, which sounds pretty close to heaven. Next week I leave for Cincinnati to see the fam for a bit. Aria needs looking-after, and Chloe needs someone to spoon her at night (she's the most perfect dog). I think it'll be a nice getaway. Work has been nonstop, and normally this is our slowest time of year. I hate to think of what it's going to be like in August and September. Finally, later this month Cory and I will fly to Chicago and spend 4 days up there. I'm really excited since I've only seen Chicago during the winter, when you can't even fathom spending time outside.

Besides that, there's really nothing to report. Cory and I are going to see Dave Matthews in August and we got Coldplay tickets for November. Wayyyy excited!

-s

Oh snap

2008-05-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hold the phone...I'm posting a blog.

It's been a while eh? You know, I really don't have much of an excuse, I admit. I can blame it on all the Harry Potter reading (on book 6 now), or I could blame it on the sun-bathing (getting my fill before we hit 95-degree days, which are quickly approaching). I can even blame it on my ridiculous obsession with Scrabulous. But at the end of the day, I should be keeping up with this thing better. When even a first-time mom of a month-old-babygirl keeps up her blog better than you, you know you have a problem (hi Aurelia!).

Since the last post I've been back to Austin for a girls' weekend with my sister and mom, complete with massages and unhealthy food. Pluckers was somehow even better than I remembered it, if that's possible. I'm loving their new digs, and can't wait to take advantage of their new full bar and back porch.

I now have bridesmaid dresses (in platinum shade), and now we're beginning the quest for wedding bands. I've also made some florist appointments, and cake-tasting and photographer-scouting will be soon to follow. Hooray! I'm getting more excited by the minute!

Cory and I have gone to two concerts recently...Houston Symphony did Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony (mediocre) and the Mahler 2 (not bad, actually). Both times we were seated in the aurally defective seats, five rows back from the stage to the far right, but beggars can't be choosers I guess. They were both free. Because of this, the balance seemed way off, and you could hear every single intonation problem or missed entrance. But you know, I was actually very impressed with Hans Grafs' Mahler 2. I had prepared myself for a potentially terrible performance. I'm used to listening to Bernstein with NY Phil, so the bar was set high. But even Charles Ward (symphony reviewer of the Houston Chronicle) didn't think it was bad. And he's normally pretty tough.

I found out about a week ago that my sister is having another baby girl! We're all very excited, but my poor brother-in-law needs some male company! We're hoping they move to Houston quick so Cory has a Guitar Hero playmate.

That's it for now...hopefully my next update won't be so distant.

-s

It's been a long time

2008-04-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

A few things of note have happened in the last month or so:

My 24th birthday came and went on Sunday. On Saturday night Cory and I had made reservations at Gravitas after hearing good reviews (the Zagat Guide said the chef was a "culinary genius"), but I got sucked into the NCAA tournament and we ended up watching basketball and eating a bucket of fried chicken from KFC. Speaks volumes about how much I love basketball.

My good friend Nichole got married a couple of weekends ago. She was the first person I met in college (besides my roommate) and was my constant study companion. The wedding gave Cory and I a good reason to spend a long weekend in Austin, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We're still trying to figure out when we're going to permanently relocate there, but we figure we should get the wedding out of the way first.

Wedding planning is going fine. I *think* I may have found a bridesmaid dress that is decently priced, so I'm crossing my fingers. I've heard this is the hardest part of wedding planning (although I have to disagree...I think it's narrowing the guest list). But things are clicking along and I'm actually very happy that we will have a 14 month engagement.

Work is much more relaxed now than it was about a month ago, thank GOD. I've had time to look for summer interns and a whole host of other things that take the back seat during February. Hoorah!

I've been a reading fiend lately. I finally got through The Pillars of the Earth (great) and The Kite Runner (I think everyone in America should be forced to read this book). Now I'm delving into the Harry Potter series!

That's about it....looking for guest hotel accomodations and doing engagement pictures this weekend, and having an engagement party next weekend!

-s

:)

2008-03-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

So rowing was painful.

15 miles is a little longer than I expected. It was a good time though: Jim and I finished in about 3 1/2 hours, which put us at the very end of the pack, but we were mostly happy to be done. Cory has expressed interest in making this trip with me, so I'll probably find myself doing it again in the near future (but maybe not 15 miles of it).

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but how in the world is it already March 19? How is my 24th birthday only 2 1/2 weeks away? How is the wedding only 288 days away? I just don't understand where the time goes.

The next two weekends are jam-packed with fun. This weekend we'll drive down to Angleton to spend Easter with my family--egg-dying and all. Next weekend we'll be spending 4 days (!) in Austin for my friend Nichole's wedding. Cory and I are so excited to have an excuse to be there for a while, cause there are a couple of places we must frequent. Hopefully the weather will be nice so he can finally get the Greenbelt hiking experience.

I expect it'll be April before we know it. Which means only one thing....Hassler baby!! I'm hoping she's born on my birthday :)

-s

Rowing Queen

2008-03-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Guess what I'm doing on Saturday? My boss and I are participating in the annual Buffalo Bayou Regatta! 15 miles of canoeing in the dirtiest water in the state....sounds like fun to me! My boss really did con me into doing this, and I'm not sure why. I'm pretty t-rexy...my muscleless little arms and lack of balance will provide some humor if nothing else. Cory is cheering us on at the finish line, so I'll be sure to post some pictures.

I got my dress! It's the most beautiful thing ever, and I wish I could wear it every single day of the year. I'm totally going to go Monica/Rachel/Phoebe on Cory one day after we're married and just sit around in the apartment wearing it (anyone remember that episode of Friends?). When I told my salesperson that I would marry the dress, she said "well then, you should probably get this one."

Besides that, things are clicking along. Definitely a lot more excited about the wedding now that I know what I'm wearing. Now on to the bridesmaid dresses!

-s

Free your mind (and the rest will follow)

2008-02-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

The last 2 months have been nothing short of chaotic. We're all settled into our new place on the west side, and I'm slowly morphing into the bug-eyed, agitated, coffee-dependent commuter along with the other 80% of Houstonians who drive at least an hour a day (around an hour and half for me). We like the place a lot...it's absolutely huge, and it's definitely easier to entertain guests. The down side is spending so much time in the car, rather than at home. We painted two of the walls in our living room a nice true pumpkin orange. It was a lot of work, but it really gives the room a little sumpen' sumpen'.

As for work, it's just plain ridiculous. This is the time of year when we're not only trying to live in the present season (we had a show open last weekend), but planning for the future one (we also sent out subscription renewal mailings last week). It makes me just crazy-busy. The addition of nesting in the apartment, adjusting to a commute, and planning for a wedding has made me one stressed-out gal. The fingernails have all been bitten off, and I hate to say I've gained a couple of stress-pounds (drinking so much at TMEA did not help, Monica and Nick!). But, you know, I'll make it through.

Speaking of TMEA, Cory and I had a blast. The BOA/Yamaha folks were terribly entertaining, and it was great to see John , Steve, and Verena. It was a much-needed vacation for sure.

This weekend my mom is driving up to go wedding dress shopping with me. Huzzah! While I'm very excited, I also know myself very well...so I'll be wearing waterproof mascara. There's just something about trying on the most important dress of your life that makes everything seem much, much more real. I'll let you know how it goes.

I talked to my niece on the phone yesterday for the first time. She actually held the phone to her ear, and carried on a 3 minute long conversation with me. I didn't understand very much of it (she's only 18 months old), but I did hear the ABCs (more like A, B, la, la, la, la, la...), I heard the yay yay song (an original composition of hers with, you guessed it, lots of yay yays), and she said Arrrrrrrrrria! She started saying her name a tiny bit when I saw her at Christmas, but she really has it down now. Absolutely hilarious. We've found out that my sister is expecting another one (!) in September, so I'm a very happy camper.

Public service announcement: For all of you who haven't early voted in Texas, DO IT NOW! You only have 2 1/2 days left, before you're stuck with everyone else on March 4. And if you have early voted, then participate in the caucus on the 4th too!

-s

P.S. If you're a Dave Matthews fan, I highly suggest you go out and buy the new Dave/Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City DVD. It'll blow your mind.

Thoughts and prayers requested

2008-02-06T14:49:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine just gave birth to her first child last Wednesday, Jan. 30. Unfortunately as soon as she was born, she started having seizures. They have since found that she has a genetic disorder which causes sporadic growth of small tumors in her major organs. She was born with two tumors in her brain and one in her heart. Today she underwent brain surgery to remove the tumors there. Imagine that--a one week old brain being operated on. My friend is only 25 years old, and her baby was conceived within days after she was told she'd probably never have children without the help of fertility drugs. This makes her a miracle baby to begin with. Any thoughts or prayers you could send her and the baby's way would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Moving right along

2008-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

An update on a few things:

Cory and I move next weekend! It's been a long time coming, too. We're looking forward to twice as much space, but I'm not looking forward to a new hefty commute. Oh, the joys of living in Houston...

We have set the date! January 2, 2009. Wooo! We've booked our venue too, which takes a huge load off my shoulders. Now I'm mostly looking forward to dress-shopping and cake-tasting. So much to do!

Our fish has been battling an ailment. I didn't know that fish could actually get sick (in my experience, they're alive one day and dead the next), but apparently ours has contracted a nasty bout of fin decay. He's on fish penicillin now--I can't believe they make such a thing--and he's recovering nicely. It was touch and go there for a while.

My friend Katie has been evacuated from Kenya and is now in the U.S. for the next 4-6 weeks while Peace Corps tries to relocate her elsewhere in the country. She came back with some really terrifying stories about the unrest there. Me and the "Brewer Patriots" (my circle of girlfriends from college) are all driving up to Dallas tonight to spend the weekend with her. Since she's been gone, three of us have gotten engaged and one already married. It'll be great to catch up and have a true girls' weekend.

That's about it! Looking forward to TMEA and a few trips to Austin in the next few months. The spring is already relatively booked for me...unbelievable.

-s

P.S. Oh yeah, forgot to tell you about LA. It was a quick trip to a slightly warmer place. Our dinner at Chinois on Main was FABULOUS. I even got to meet this girl, who has made quite a splash in the way we market dance companies.

Coming to LA!

2008-01-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

Look out! Los Angeles will once again be blessed with my presence, January 17-19. I'll be out there for a quick conference by Dance USA regarding new online marketing opportunities for dance companies (my specialty). Unfortunately I won't be downtown again like my last trip, so I can't catch the LA Phil. I'll be at a Marriott close to the airport :( I figure it's only two days, so I can survive.

My Christmas vacay was fabulous, just not long enough. I got back and had to hit the ground running...Cory and I are signing the lease at our new place today, and I've begun packing a little at a time. This month we will also set the date and put a deposit down at the venue, so I've got my hands full and the month has barely even started. Toss in my friend's wedding this weekend and this quick jaunt to the West Coast, and my calendar is almost full again. I thought things would slow down after Christmas....?

For those of you who believe in such things, please keep my friend Katie in your prayers. She's a peace corps volunteer in Kenya (specifically the village of Litein, situated between Nairobi and Kisumu), and if you're keeping up with the news, you know the country is not doing too well right now. Much political unrest, and many dead. Unfortunately Katie lives in the Rift Valley area of the country, where most of the fighting is taking place. The last I heard is Peace Corps will be picking her up from her hiding place and taking her in an armored car to a military base. Communication is spotty since she has a pay-as-you-go cell phone, and she can't leave her friend's house to buy more phone credit. I'm relying on word from her mother, so it's a bit stressful in our household right now.

Hope all is well with you folks, and happy belated new year!

-s

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-21T10:46:00.001-08:00

Sorry guys, it's been a whirlwind for the last month. Christmas shopping, wedding planning, Nutcrackering...you name it, I've done it. One thing I do know, I wish I was here, but I'm not. I guess I'll have to settle for waiting 2 more months until TMEA.

This evening I leave for Cincinnati to see my beautiful niece and family for the holidays. Then I fly to Pittsburgh on the 27th to see the Meals clan for a long weekend. Cory and I will return on the 30th looking much plumper I'm sure.

Believe me everyone, when I have a date I'll spread it around. Until then....Merry Christmas!

-s

Black Dog

2007-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, I've been a little overwhelmed lately. What with planning a wedding, Nutcracker season, and finding a place to live when our lease is up, there's just a lot to do. Let's rewind...

1) Thanks to all of you for your congratulations and well-wishes about our engagement. We're pretty excited too :) Wedding planning is going okay, just a little overwhelming. There are so many rules to follow and so many details to think of...and budgeting will make your heart skip a beat. Since when did the wedding industry decide it was okay to make you spend the equivalent of a CAR on ONE DAY OF YOUR LIFE? This is unacceptable. Regardless, we're starting to make important decisions about what we're willing to spend on, and what we're not. And whittling down the guest list, well, let's not get me started on that.

2) As far as work goes, it's been chaotic. I think Nutcracker was this crazy last year too, but I had erased it from my mind when it was all over. It's in full swing now and it's not even December yet! I'm busy doing all sorts of holiday events promoting the show. For instance, tonight we will have three lovely dancers dressed in Nutcracker garb helping the Mayor light the Christmas tree at City Hall. The best part? It'll be on tv! Lately I've been having lots of experience with PR. I was quoted in the December issue of Dance Magazine about our blog, which I keep up. Also, last week I was on KUHF (our NPR affiliate) promoting the Wortham Theater Tree Lighting Ceremony (I'm in the last Listen/Download link segment). Even though it's a little crazy around here, it feels good knowing that my hard work is paying off and Houston Ballet is getting good marketing/media coverage because of the things I'm doing.

3) Thanksgiving was truly lovely. My amazing niece was down here with her mom, Dad, and Chloe the dog. The only person missing was my middle sister Amy, which we'll rectify at Christmas. Aria is now 17 months old, walking, talking, laughing, trying to dress herself, and "cooking" for everyone. Her hero? Elmo of course. She was mesmerized by the Sesame Street float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. She's just a joy to be around...she knows who Auntie NooNoo and Uncle Cory are (don't even ask about NooNoo), and she blew us some sweet kisses. What a doll!

I believe that's it for now. Cory's football team is still in the playoffs, so they have another game tonight. If they win tonight they'll be in the state quarterfinals. We're not terribly excited for them. Tomorrow I'll be making a day trip to Austin for a bridal shower. The next year, it seems, will be all about weddings.

-s

Engaged!

2007-11-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

As many of you already know due to my fiendish text messaging rampage, Cory and I got engaged tonight. I'll have to fill most of you in at a later time with details and such, but he basically sent me on a scavenger hunt throughout Houston, taking me to several locations which meant a lot to us, and ended by getting down on one knee on the main lawn of Rice University. After that, we had dinner at Ibiza, a fabulous restaurant whose chef appeared on Food Network's Iron Chef and nearly beat Mario Batali. We had a wonderful 2 1/2 hour dinner complete with 4 courses, a glass of celebratory champagne, and the bottle of the best wine I've ever had. Needless to say, we're fat and happy right now :)

Here are some pics of the rock:

Cory has already fallen asleep, bless his heart. It's been a stressful day, and the wine doesn't help. Thanks to all of you for being so very supportive of our relationship; we appreciate it!

Love,
The Future Meals'

Historias de Miami

2007-11-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Miami started off a bit rough. After the past several business trips we've taken, we couldn't believe our luck that our flight to and from the city were on time without issues. We arrived in downtown Miami around 9pm on Friday night, ordered room service, and went to bed. The next morning we were up early for a full day of conference sessions.

The conference was based on "new frontiers"---new technology and emerging audiences. I'm really glad I'm young and 'with it', because most of the sessions were pretty jargon-intensive (wikis, podcasts, MySpace, Facebook, RSS, blogs, you name it). I felt bad for the poor lady whose first question was "What does IM mean?" I consider myself lucky that my age has made me quite the asset at the ballet. As most of you know, I launched our MySpace page around April of last year, our blog in August of this year, our Facebook page in October, and will begin pulling together our podcasts in the spring. Along with my involvement in old-school marketing techniques (direct mail, advertising, in-person promotional events, and e-blasts), you can see why I've been so busy lately.

There were two sessions that really caught my eye. The first was a presentation by one of the marketing staffpersons at The Metropolitan Opera in NYC. She basically presented their re-branding campaign that was meant to make The Met more accessible to a larger, younger, lower-income audience. They also showed off several drool-inducing technologies that they've incorporated, including video podcasts hosted by none other than Renee Fleming. Newman, I don't know if you were around to see this, but apparently they also broadcast their production of Madame Butterfly in Times Square on a video screen. People stopped dead in their tracks to watch opera....I have to admit, I got a little emotional watching it. The fact that the notoriously fast-moving people of New York were that interested in the arts, well, that just makes me proud of my job.

The other session that was really great was all about the intrinsic value that people place on the arts. There was a large study done that interviewed people before and after seeing a performing arts event. The survey asked the audiences about their intellectual stimulation, emotional reaction, preparedness to receive, context, and social bonding associated with the show. What it boiled down to is pretty much what we as artists already know: that people attend the arts because it provides a unique experience that can't be found anywhere else. The speaker pointed out that marketing shouldn't be about getting butts in seats to earn money; rather, it should be about providing life-changing experiences that could potentially transform a new-to-file single ticket buyer into a life-long patron. This is probably the most boring entry ever to some of you, but it really gets my blood going. I'm in the business of changing peoples' lives!

So you may be wondering how this all figures in to Michael Tilson Thomas. On Saturday night they bussed us down to South Beach for Miami's "Sleepless Night". Sleepless Night is a 13-hour party from 6pm to 6am that coincides with the time change; thus, a 13-hour night. There was tons of shopping, live performances, bar-hopping, you name it. I couldn't believe our luck when I found out that Michael Tilson Thomas was conducting his New World Symphony that very night on the South Beach strip at Lincoln Hall. We made a mad dash to the FREE event (FREE!!) and caught the first half of the concert. It was a pretty difficult piece to swallow, and didn't show off MTT's mad skillz that much, but I'm thrilled nonetheless. What a coup. That was certainly the highlight of the trip.

On Sunday night Angela and I went shopping again at a shopping mall near the American Airlines Arena (that place gets nuts on a Heat game night!), and I got a media noche sandwich and the best mojito I've ever had. Yay for Cuban cuisine!

And that's it! That was the trip. Unfortunately NAMP will be in Houston next year, so I don't get to go anywhere fun, but I will have a chance to probably be on some sort of event committee to welcome folks to our city. Should be fun.

Thanks for sticking with me this long. Cheers!

-s

Back from Miami....

2007-11-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

with some stories to tell. One of which includes Michael Tilson Thomas.

Attention!

2007-10-31T13:45:00.001-07:00

Cory has a new blog, so if you read it before, here's the new link.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

I think Cory and I did pretty well on our pumpkin this year :)

Too bad this had to happen to spoil the fun. Goulet!

Have a great and safe Halloween, all!

-s

That time of year...

2007-10-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lots of things going on these days...

My friend Brian and I went to see Avenue Q last week. Totally hilarious and inappropriate. Who would have thought that puppet nudity would make you feel so uncomfortable? I don't know which was funnier: watching the show, or watching the conservative crowds of Houston watch the show.
My parents, grandmother and I all went to see Cory's band perform at Area marching contest last Saturday, and his band has advanced to 4A state!! Major congrats to my love for being so diligent and exceedingly patient with his students. I'm so proud of you!
I'll be leaving on Friday for the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Miami. This is the same conference that took me to Los Angeles in Spring 2006. My boss and I will be presenting the results from our 2006-2007 single ticket buyer retention campaign (which is one small part of my job). It should be loads of fun...they keep you in cold convention rooms all day, then let you free at 5pm to explore the city. I'm hoping to get some really great Mexican food and walk some beaches!
After that's over with, Nutcracker season takes over my life! I have 9 promotional events scheduled for the months of November/December, but thankfully I've got one year under my belt and will never schedule 6 events in 5 days again! I might actually get to sleep in every once in a while on the weekends!
In 3 weeks Cory and I will make a VERY quick jaunt up to Indianapolis for BOA Grand Nationals. I'm starting to make it a tradition to go up there every odd year. I love that city--it holds wonderful memories for me. This year I will finally get to taste the famous shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo's, and we'll of course have dinner at Palomino. I can't wait to see Monica, Nick, Cam, and the rest of the BOA crew!

That's all for now!

-s

Favor

2007-10-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Cory and I were recently reminded that Beethoven's string quartets were glaringly missing from our current music library. Anybody have suggestions on particular recordings or groups who have performed them?

Behold!

2007-10-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

We have a new toy!

We're loving the HDTV life :)

Oh, Arvo

2007-10-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Some updates:

Lunch with Bruce (marketing director at Houston Symphony) went fine. We chatted about our respective organizations and how our seasons were going, and let's just say I'm happy to be working where I am. He gave Cory and I great seats to see HSO on Sunday afternoon (five rows back from the stage), with a guest pianist playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It's just an absolutely beautiful piece, and Variation 18 is even better than I expected when heard live. Lizst's Totentanz was also pretty cool. I think Cory really dug Stravinksy's Symphony of Psalms.

Other than that, there's no real news. Cory's band will be participating in the Bands of America Pearland regional on Saturday, and I will be volunteering with BOA as the warm-up manager. The weather should be fab, since we've just gotten a nice cool front (it was 66 degrees this morning when I woke up). Hopefully the rain will hold off...

Next weekend is Cory's birthday! I'll be treating him to Ruth's Chris for dinner since he's never been, so that should be a fun outing for both of us.

Sorry to be boring. I'm sure you can deal.

-s

Currently listening to: Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten by Arvo Part

Eh hee!

2007-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

First things first, I simply must share this with you: today I saw a commercial for an allergy medicine, and smack dab in the middle of the the commercial there is a sentence in fine print that says "We're not exactly sure how xxxx works." (xxxx being the name of the drug) I forget what it was called, but I'd definitely call that bad marketing. But I guess they have to divulge such information.

In other news: Dave Matthews Band concert did not disappoint. I knew it wouldn't! Here's the set list in case you're interested. I was a little bummed that they didn't play some of my faves, like Bartender and Warehouse, but Watchtower was pretty darn good. Robert Earl Keen opened the show and his banjo and electric guitar players joined DMB for a couple of songs. I tell you what, there ain't many girls out there who enjoy a banjo as much as Sarah Stern. In the words of Randy Jackson, DMB and friends "worked it out." Cory and I had a great time, and even managed to enjoy the best french fries ever on Sunday morning in the West Village before heading back to Houston.

In other other news, Cory and I joined a gym! Yes, we are that couple - the couple that even does yoga together. I fully intend on trying out this Zumba business...it sounds intriguing.

Oh yes, here's my fun news: last week at opening night of our show, I finally met the marketing director of Houston Symphony face to face, after literally talking to him on the phone that very day. We're having lunch this week to discuss what the differences are between marketing a ballet company and marketing a symphony. It should be interesting, and at the very least good for my network. He uttered those infamous words "If you ever leave the ballet...." Oh yeah, and he got Cory and I free tix to see the Rachmaninoff/Liszt/Stravinsky rep this weekend, so we'll be checking that out on Sunday.

On Saturday night we're going to see the ballet we're currently running, titled The Four Seasons. It's a mixed bill rep, my fave, and includes William Forsythe's In the middle, somewhat elevated, and Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort. The latter is my favorite ballet that I've seen since working with HB. Jiri Kylian is nothing short of a movement genius. You watch that ballet and you just want to cry, it's that beautiful. There are no sets, hardly any props, and flesh colored costumes; it's just you, the dancers, and Mozart's piano concertos. If you ever get the chance to see it, for the love of Dr Pepper SEE IT. Even if you think you don't like ballet, I'm pretty sure this will change your mind. Here's some YouTube video I found of Nederlands Dans performing the first part. It doesn't do it justice, but it'll give you an idea. Great company and pretty good quality video too.

Okay, that's all I've got for now. I'll write next week and let you know how the symphony concert goes (and the meeting).

-s

P.S. If you haven't seen Hot Fuzz, do yourself a favor and go rent it. It's roll-on-the-floor, cry-your-eyes-out hilarious.

Ridiculous.

2007-09-12T06:37:00.001-07:00

And this is exactly why we hate OU and their fans.

You know....stuff.

2007-09-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been a while. For the past several weeks there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. I've become one of those people...the ones who check their work email from home, and continue working well into the evening on their personal computers. Basically, work is kicking my ass. I haven't had this many overwhelming moments since I first started back in February 2006. While considering taking my promotion, I knew this would happen, but what are you gonna do, turn down money?

Unfortunately, a couple of external factors have come into play that have made things substantially more difficult. First, our senior IT guy discovers a serious medical condition and has been out on medical leave for the past 2 months. We were about to undergo an upgrade of our website content manager, so that got thrown my way. Now I'm dealing with all the collateral damage of quirks and bugs in the new version that need to be handled. Second, the company who used to design and deploy all of our email marketing campaigns closed that department, so I got to learn Sevista in 5 days before we had 6 eblasts go out (all on one day, mind you). Something that literally used to take me a matter of minutes, now takes me hours. And then of course I have the blog, and the podcasts, and the regular everyday stuff. Sigh. I keep telling myself it'll get better.

If you want an inside look at one of my projects due next week, visit this site. It's not finished yet. There are some links that go to the wrong places and are basically just placeholders right now. But keep in mind that the entire thing was built through HTML. Who woulda thought that HTML class I took in high school would have helped me now? Oh yeah, and for all the composers/musicians who read this blog, you might find the latest HB blog pretty interesting. It was written by the principal pianist of our orchestra, who spends quite a lot of rehearsal time with the dancers and artistic staff.

Anyways, I've rambled enough for now. I'm off to eat breakfast and clean the apartment. Dave Matthews concert is in 2 weeks, which is definitely the carrot in front of the nose right now. Love to all!

-s

gasp

2007-08-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Theater District Open House is over.

The season opens next Thursday.

I am now queen of Sevista and HTML.

Erin

2007-08-16T10:55:00.001-07:00

Mmmm....flooding......fun.

No worries, we're okay so far. Although people at Kroger were already stocking up on water and canned goods just in case Dean comes a'knockin'.

Keep you posted.

Deep breath...

2007-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've been busy.

Some updates:

At the end of July, I had the pleasure of going back out to Colorado Springs for a work conference. We were only there for a few days, but they were really great ones. We work very closely with our marketing consulting firm, Target Resource Group (which is based out of CS), and it's always nice to actually talk to the consultants face-to-face. The conference itself was really interesting, but the highlight was definitely Thursday night, when TRG had planned a beautiful 5-course dinner with Spanish wine pairings at the gorgeous Garden of the Gods Club. The weather was absolutely perfect and, of course, the view was nothing short of amazing. This probably seems like small potatoes to someone who works for a huge corporation, but for people like me who work at a measly non-profit, I felt like I had hit the jackpot! Unfortunately this state of bliss came to a swift end the day after, when my coworker Angela and I were stranded in Denver Airport due to a variety of factors (bad weather and flight cancellations, but mainly United's stupidity). We finally arrived in Houston the next day at 10:30 am, a full 11 hours late. Lovely.

The same day I got back to Houston, my sister Amy flew in from San Fran to spend a week here. I took off work a couple of days to join her in sitting on the couch, watching reality tv marathons/re-runs, eating lots of good, bad-for-you food, shopping, and going to the movies. It was the perfect way to end my summer. As always, it completely sucked taking her back to the airport. Curses!

Cory and I have spent the last week hosting two very important parties: his parents, and Kevin's puggle, Georgia:

Cory's parents turned out to be much less high-maintenance than that little scoundrel of a dog. But, she was hilarious, and lovey, and totally fun to be with. We even taught her how to lay down! The best part was seeing her very different beagle and pug personality traits showing themselves all in one dog! Kevin came to pick her up last night, so the house has gotten a lot quieter. Cory's parents are in Austin for a few days, and will return on Wednesday to spend a couple of more days here in sweat-land.

Other than that, work has been continually kicking my butt. I finally got our new blog launched last Friday, which was a major load off my shoulders. Bear with me; there has been a huge learning curve involved (CSS and RSS are both related to Satan, methinks). I'm hoping to get the kinks worked out in the next month or so, but please feel free to visit regardless.

That about sums it up. I wish I could say things will slow down in the next month or so, but it's not true. At the end of August is Theater District Open House (we meet again), then in September we open the season with four back-t0-back weekends of shows. Throw in the Dave Matthews Band concert in Dallas, a girls' weekend in Austin, and a podcasting class at Rice U. on Tuesday nights, and you've got yourself one stressed-out Sarah. Not complaining though.

Hope you are all well, and sorry I haven't been keeping this thing more up-to-date. Based on the last paragraph, I can't guarantee it's going to get any better. Love!

-s

Currently reading: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Next up: Dan Brown's Deception Point (before I start on the Harry Potter series!)

Thriller...Filipino style

2007-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you guys haven't seen the latest internet rage, take a look at these Filipino prison inmates get their groove on to Michael Jackson's Thriller:

I must say though, it's not as great as this was.

I just got back from Colorado Springs for a work trip, and there's plenty to tell about that. Highlight of the trip: sleeping in the Denver airport. Will explain later....for now I'm catching up on my sleep.

Ciao!

-s

Get Back

2007-07-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I see a theme developing here...."sorry for lack of bloggage lately, but..."

Seriously, sorry to my loyal readers. Life has been busy. Unlike a normal summer ("off-season" for the Ballet), I have been hard at work fulfilling the new requirements of my job title. Somehow my boss thinks I'm computer savvy, so he has put me in charge of some new online projects...namely launching a blog and podcasts for HB. "She has a MySpace page! She writes a blog! She must know how to record, mix, edit, and publish a podcast!" I appreciate his faith in me, but there is definitely a learning curve here. Thanks already to John for giving me some tips on the blog. Cory, on the other hand, has been off work for a couple of weeks, so obviously (being the workaholic that he is) he's been sitting at home feverishly writing marching band drill. Neither of us can stand being bored, can't you tell?

This past weekend we drove down to Angleton to see one of my very best and oldest friends get married. She and I grew up in the same church, went to UT together, and lived together for a year in Austin. The wedding was beautiful, and I even got to read some scripture, cut the cake, and carry some flowers around! It was all very surreal.....since when are we old enough to get married? This is craziness! Oh, and I already have 2 wedding invitations for next spring. I expect at least two more by year's end. I guess it's just that time in my life...Here are some pics:

Congrats, Karley and Jonathan!

As you can see, my hair's getting quite long...it hasn't been this length since at least high school.

Cory, Jeffrey and I will be at the drum corps show in Houston on Thursday night, then Cory and I are heading to San Antonio for the weekend to see the drum corps show on Saturday (Steve, we'll let you know how Hummingbrrd goes). The Cavaliers are staying at his high school this week in Houston, so I've got to get my booty in the kitchen and make some treats for the staff! Being hospitable is a forte of mine. Oh, and we'll also get to drool over Cam's iPhone. Pretty excited about that :)

Will try to post pictures from S.A. next week....

-s

Currently reading: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
Just finished reading: The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

San Francisco trip, etc.

2007-07-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a while....sorry about that folks. It's been a whirlwind since Cory and I left for San Francisco. We had a fabulous trip, but unfortunately it ended poorly due to my very adorable niece:

Being the 1 year old germ factory that she is, she managed to give every single person in the household a very awful stomach flu (nanny, nanny's boyfriend, my sister and her husband, and myself). I spent our last night in the city on my sister's bathroom floor, seriously thinking I was dying. But Cory somehow managed to escape unscathed. Thank God too, otherwise I'm not sure we would have made it back to Houston.

During the trip, we had a wonderful time. We spent Thursday wandering around Golden Gate Park and even visited the Japanese Tea Garden, which was lovely. That evening we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Cha Cha Cha, then headed downtown for trivia night at Jillian's with my sister and her 3 roommates (ever wonder how one affords to live in the Bay area? That's your answer). The next day we hopped the Muni and went downtown, grabbed some Italian food for lunch in North Beach, then wandered uptown through Chinatown (where we saw way too many of these....poor ducks) to Union Square, where we shopped at H&M and Zara. By this point, it was definitely time for cheap champagne at the skeevy Golddust Lounge. That night we went home and hung out with the fam, then went out for Indian food. I cannot explain to you how much I wish we could transplant Leah's local Indian food place (Naan N' Curry) to Houston. It was Cory's first time having Indian food, and it was his favorite meal of our entire trip. On Saturday, Aria's birthday, we went hiking. We had originally planned on throwing her a huge bash, but we canceled due to the spreading illness in the family. Amy, Chloe, Cory and I tackled the hike from the Pacific Beach around the coast up to China Beach and back...easily 4 miles of the most scenic landscape in the nation. Chloe hiked like a champ despite her small stature (she's not a very big dog). We grabbed a beer when we got back, then had Burmese food with the family. The next day we decided to go ahead and throw Aria's party since everyone was feeling okay...at the time. In true princess fashion, she had her very own tiny cake. Some pics:

On Monday, Amy took Cory and I to Sonoma for a day of wine tasting. It was absolutely beautiful, about 85 degrees and sunny all day, and the wines were fantastic. We had a wonderful lunch of cheeses, breads, salami, fruit, and a tasty white wine...just a great way to spend our last full day in California. On the way home, I started feeling kinda funny. At first I thought it was the wine, and oh lord I wish it had been. Unfortunately since wine was the last thing I had before I got sick, I can't even look at it now without my stomach churning. Anyways, here are some gorgeous pics from wine country:

So all in all, that was our trip. It certainly didn't last long enough...I miss all my family so much, especially the littlest member! She is growing so fast, and has learned some new, very entertaining tricks, like the fishy face. She can also stack blocks, knows which auntie is which, and has discovered how wonderful cheese is. She's almost walking too!

The next month will be absolute chaos. Cory and I are going to Austin next weekend, then the following weekend is Karley's wedding, then the weekend after that we're going to San Antonio. Then I go on a quick trip to Colorado Springs for work (and Cory to Chicago for the same), then Amy is coming down from San Francisco to spend a week at home!! How does the summer seem to fill up so fast?

Some great news on the work front: I've been promoted to marketing manager! Things won't change all that much, besides the pay and some extra work. I'll basically be doing the job I have now but adding some fun technological things to my job description (like putting together podcasts and a blog). It was a wonderful surprise on my first day back from vacation to learn that I was being promoted and will be making A LOT more money. One day I'm on my deathbed, the next day I moving on up in the world. This weekend Cory and I celebrated by treating ourselves to a movie at Alamo Drafthouse....Ratatouille is amazing! I also got some new clothes from Steve and Barry's (Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line, of course!) and got a manicure.

We also have finally settled our living situation for the most part. The old couch is FINALLY gone after someone was kind enough to buy it on Craigslist for $60! After that we rearranged a little, and have been making more room for Cory's stuff.

My pal Jeff just moved to Houston today for the next month and a half, woohoo! He's here working for a law firm for a while. I'm super excited that he will be joining Cory and I with my family to celebrate the 4th.

I think that about wraps it up. As you can see, lots has been going on.

Much love,
s

Out with the old, in with the new

2007-06-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

Sorry for no bloggage lately, but I've had my hands full. As of today, the 2006-2007 ballet season has ended, and I don't have to go to a performance until September!! That means lots of free weekends and much less stress. Coppelia ended on a good note, bringing in thousands of dollars over our expected goal...so everyone is in good spirits. Now I have 3 days to tie up loose ends until Cory and I fly to San Francisco! Woohoo!

My sister Leah flew down to San Antonio last week for a work conference and brought Aria with her. My parents drove up there and picked her up, then brought her to Meemah and Papa's house for the week. On Tuesday I took a half-day and drove to Angleton to see her. Of course my mom splurged and bought her the coolest blow-up pool ever. This thing had water spewing out of the top of a palm tree, a slide, and a floating giraffe. Pretty cool contraption for a one-year-old. Aria loved it since she is already taking swimming lessons. Talk about a baby who loves water! She's doing all sorts of fun things: she knows some baby sign language, she says "mama", "dada" and "coco" (Chloe, the dog), she knows what a comb does, and she loves Cheerios. I stayed the night and was DEFINITELY ready to come back on Wednesday morning. Babies are exhausting. I already broke the news to her that she would have to wait a long time for cousins from me. Look at how adorable she is:

She has much more hair, but still no teeth! She's almost walking too!

Other news: Cory and I are moving in together! We're both pretty excited about this, and very much looking forward to savings lots of money in rent. Living this close to downtown has started to kick my butt in a serious kind of way, so I'll be glad to have a roommate. We decided that our goal was to buy a new couch by the time he moved in, and we did just that. Look at this beauty. If you click on "view in a room" you'll see our exact one. Here's the awesome story about this couch...

Last weekend we went furniture shopping, mostly just looking around, and stopped at one of our favorites, West Elm. We liked that couch the most, and noticed it was marked down from $899 to $719. We asked them how long the promotion was going on, and they said they didn't really know, but we should come back within the week if we wanted to get it. So we went to other stores like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel and didn't find anything we liked as much. So we waited a few days to think on it, and decided we wanted it. We went back to the store on Wednesday, and as soon as we walked in the door the store manager said "Oh my gosh, I've been hoping the cute couple would come back in! The floor model is 50% off!" We couldn't believe this, and asked them how much that would be. Turns out, after tax, we got a brand new couch for $389.16. How ridiculous is that? So we picked it up on Friday and it's now our new toy! It's a little stiff, so it'll take a while to break in. The best part? We still have my old couch pushed against a wall, standing upright on its end, waiting for Salvation Army to come pick it up. It almost reaches the ceiling! Cory and I briefly thought about keeping it since we both laugh every time we see it. Like a huge piece of art or something. Our next buy will be a coffee table...

Since it's been raining daily since Thursday, we've spent most of our weekend holed up in the apartment, watching movies, and eating good food. I went to see the ballet on Friday night, then met up with Cory and Holly at Corkscrew, our favorite wine bar. On Saturday I drove to Angleton to go to my best friend's wedding shower, then came back home and we cooked some delicious spaghetti and meatballs. Today I've been chilling out on the new couch watching a Man vs. Wild marathon. I think that guy is so fascinating! I mean, his name is Bear for goodness sake. Tonight we will eat some tasty meatball subs :)

All in all, a great week, and a great weekend. Now I just have to get through 3 days of work then I leave on vacation! Since Cory has never been to San Fran before, my sister and I will be taking him to Muir Woods, the Golden Gate Bridge/Park, Coit Tower, Sonoma, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, and the Haight District. We're both pretty excited. But what we're really looking forward to is Aria's first birthday party on Saturday. Hooray! Happy birthday, baby girl!

We will definitely share our pictures when we get back. Love to all!

-s

Majorly jealous!

2007-06-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

My pal Nick Nett is quite the world traveler, and he and his family just got back from South Africa and Zimbabwe. I hope he doesn't mind, but I'm going to share his photos with my network of readers. I've got to meet this family....they're so cool they even went skydiving!

-s

:)

2007-06-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today marked one year since Cory and I met. To celebrate this anniversary, we had brunch at the coffee shop where we met. Yep, we're those people. Disgusting.

-s

2007-06-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

First, let me tell you about Lithgow. What an awesome guy! We were so lucky to have him in town for 5 days to rehearse/perform with the company and do some promotional events and publicity for the show. The book signing went very well, and the store sold out of its 300 copies of his book. Of all celebrities we could have gotten, we were so glad to have him. Very easy to get along with, and incredibly talented to boot. Here are some pics:

Lithgow performing with Houston Ballet in Carnival of the Animals

As you can see, he doesn't mind dressing in drag...and he's pretty animated. At the book signing, he read two of his children's books, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College and Marsupial Sue, and sang two other books, I'm a Manatee and My Two Dogs. I also had the chance to meet Christopher Wheeldon, who is COMPLETELY HOT, and he was nice as well. I'm glad immensely talented people can also be immensely level-headed.

Other than that, things are settling down. Three weeks left of the season, thank God for that. Shortly thereafter, Cory and I will be heading to San Francisco at the end of the month to see my darling niece turn one. Then in August, we'll be heading to Chicago for a long weekend. Woohoo!

Major congrats are in order to the following people:

-My pals Charlotte and Bob, who just got engaged
-Jonathan Newman and his wife Melissa, who have a new baby girl
-Kate and Robert, who just added to their brood with their new puppy, Heidi

Love,
s

*Photos innocently stolen from Amitava Sarkar and Jean May

Incredible!

2007-05-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure that the season finale to Lost last night was the best season finale I've ever seen. What a frickin' amazing show. Cory and I will spend this summer going back to the beginning...all the way to Season 1.

Wow.

2007-05-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just got this facebook wall note from one of our stage managers, Michelle:

Michelle wrote on your wall. 3:40pm

Reasons I love my job: John Lithgow in tights. Priceless.

That's just awesome.

Crunch time

2007-05-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

Two things:

-Cory and I went to the Astros game last Saturday night with Kate and Robert, using Kate's dad's awesome seats (8 rows back from 3rd base). It was a grand time, full of Shiner Bock and hot dogs loaded with mustard, relish and onions. And can you believe it? They actually won!! Yes, they beat the Texas Rangers 6-1. And then lost the next day 14-1. Must have been payback. I apologize for not having any pictures of it....it was an absolutely gorgeous day with the roof open.

-This week is busy with the show opening. Saturday is the infamous book-signing with Lithgow. This is the first event I've planned that has gotten major advertising: PSAs on the local public radio station (KUHF), a mention in the Houston Chronicle and maybe even a mention on Sunny 99.1. Hooray! I just hope it goes okay. Perhaps I can steal a picture with John and post it on here.

Wish me luck! I'll let you know how everything goes. Arrivederci!

-s

Currently reading: Candace Bushnell's Trading Up (thanks to Cait)

Yawn

2007-05-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, but things are pretty boring around these parts lately. Work is starting to pick up, what with a show opening in less than two weeks. I have 3 promotions coming up at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Brazos Bookstore, and the Children's Museum. They're all relatively small in scope, so that makes my life a bit easier. One cool thing though: John Lithgow will be in town to perform with us for our first two shows of Animal Magnetism, and he is also doing a book-signing at the aforementioned bookstore. To learn more about why exactly Lithgow will be on the ballet stage, go to ArtsHouston's website. My first brush with celebrity....should be interesting.

Besides that, things are pretty chill. Our season will officially be over a month from Thursday, so I guess that's something to look forward to. Too bad we don't get a month off like the dancers do :(

-s

Back from ole PA

2007-05-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately the trip to Pittsburgh/Titusville had to come to an end, but we had a good time while it lasted. Cory's family and I got along swimmingly (as expected) and I finally got to meet Loo (the dog). I'll let Cory blog the trip since he's the one who took all the pictures. Among the things we got to do:

-eat at Sheetz....mmmm!
-drink Galliker's iced tea
-drink Yuengling beer....tasty tasty
-eat the best sushi ever at Nakama
-ride the incline up to Mt. Washington (great view of the city)
-see PNC Park (home of the Pirates) and Heinz Field (home of the Steelers)
-tour the first ever oil well in the U.S.
-see the hospital where Cory was born :)
-see Cait graduate!!
-get a quick and dirty tour of Pittsburgh, which I really liked
-see Carnegie Mellon University, a truly gorgeous college
-drive all over tarnation in Pennsylvania. Good lord it's a beautiful state. No wonder it produced the likes of two of my favorite men :)

I'll let Cory do the rest...

-s

Currently reading: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

All Along the Watchtower

2007-05-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

So just as I get off the plane from New York, I get back on the plane to Pittsburgh on Friday. Cory and I are flying up there to see his sister graduate from Point Park University, which will be fun and exciting. I'll also get to scout out the city, since my sister is moving there in a little over a year. On Saturday we head up to the booming metropolis of Titusville, PA. I expect that we'll get to drink much more Yuengling, which I'm happy about. This is the first time meeting his mom, so I'm a little nervous about that. I consider myself a pretty charming person, but I'm smart enough to know that charm doesn't cloud a mother's intuition. *Sigh* Wish me luck.

In other news, Cory and I bought our tickets yesterday for the Dave Matthews Band concert in September in Dallas!! Woohoo!

I'll let you know how the weekend goes...

-s

Currently reading: Candace Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle

Babies everywhere!!

2007-04-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Isn't my new second cousin adorable??

She's so cuddly!

Breathe in the memory

2007-04-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Bear with me, I think I'm going to try to do the whole trip in one post...

I flew into Newark Airport Thursday night. Since I had to work all day, my flight didn't leave until 7:30, which put me in Jersey at 1:09am. After waiting a good 10 minutes to catch a cab, we slowly but surely made our way out to Fairfield, NJ, where our hotel was. Not only was it quite a distance, but the flooding didn't help either. Eastbound Route 46 was closed since water was still on the road, and of course this just happened to be directly in front of my hotel. We figured it out though, and I caught a quick 4 hours of sleep before we began the adventures of the next day.

Friday morning I woke up bright and early at 6:15 (5:15 am CST, mind you), grabbed some breakfast, then we loaded the buses and headed to Newark, where the Langley Symphony Band and Wind Symphony were playing at Newark Symphony Hall/Sarah Vaughn Theater as part of the Festivals of Music program.

Once the clinics were over and we had loaded up the buses, it was back to Fairfield to change clothes....then off to NYC! We went straight to the South Street Seaport, which in and of itself isn't that fabulous, but the weather was beautiful (78 and sunny the entire weekend) so I enjoyed spending some time outdoors with the street performers and masses of tourists. From the seaport I got a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge:

From there we headed to dinner in Chinatown. On the way I saw Wall Street, glimpsed the Merrill Lynch bull, and drove through Soho, Little Italy, and a bit of Chelsea. In Chinatown we had a huge feast (more than any 100 people could ever eat), then headed to Astor Place Theatre to catch Blue Man Group. Wow, these guys were awesome!! It was a totally unique experience, and the show ran an hour and half with no intermission--and you never get bored! Definitely one of those shows I wouldn't mind seeing again and again. From there we headed back to NJ, and I promptly took a shower and went to bed. More pics:

South Street Seaport

Mmmm...traffic. Nice to know it's not just a Houston thing

The next morning we woke up really early to catch breakfast and the Festivals of Music awards ceremony at Hard Rock Cafe Times Square. 7am on Saturday morning is probably about the only time you will ever see Times Square somewhat "asleep". After being greeted by a 7-story jumbotron of a shirtless David Beckham, I decided the New York was definitely a place I liked :) Some pics:

We did the whole breakfast thing, then walked around Times Square for a couple of hours. I shopped at the massive Virgin Records (where I found something I've been wanting for months), road the Ferris Wheel inside Toys 'R Us, and smelled the sweet chocolate aromas of the Hershey and M&M stores. We caught lunch at Bubba Gump, then headed back to NJ to change and prep for Carnegie.

Once we arrived back in the city, the buses dropped us off at the stage door on 57th at Carnegie Hall. We were taken through the bowels of backstage to a holding room for the kids. Turns out backstage is just as confusing as the Wortham. Andy showed me the Maestro Suite, which was full of autographed headshots of Lenny, Stokowski and friends. Nuts. They had a sound check at 6, so I had the opportunity to listen to rehearsal on stage. Me. On Carnegie Hall stage. Best acoustics EVER! It was such a dream come true. I literally had to stop myself from listening to the music and breathe in the memory of it all. Here I am, 2 days later, and I still can't really process it. You look forward to something for so long, and when it finally happens it's almost overwhelming. Some pics:

Anyways, I had the chance to meet Arturo Rodriguez, who arranged his piece Mosaico Mexicano for wind band for Langley Wind Symphony to premiere that night in the hall. They also played Armenian Dances and John's Strange Humors. Jonathan joined me for the concert and we had a grand time. The Wind Symphony sounded fabulous, and it was great seeing Andy conduct again...brought back some wonderful memories of being under his baton.

After the concert, I said a quick hello to Andy's family and went with Jonathan on a whirlwind tour of Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center, which was amazing. I saw the south end of Central Park, Trump Tower, Jean Georges (John's favorite restaurant), and John's old neighborhood. Now that I think about it, it was Macktastic evening! After that we caught a Metro bus to Times Square to meet up with the band at Planet Hollywood. Finally, around midnight, we headed back to NJ. Many thanks to Jonathan for giving me a quick glimpse of what New York is really like. I hope to come back soon to visit Clarinet Sparkle-Harmony! Some pics:

Lincoln Center

Times Square at night

The next morning we got going around 9:30 and headed back to NYC to catch the Circle Line to Liberty and Ellis Islands. Although we didn't disembark at Liberty Island, we got a great view of America's favorite green lady (who was much bigger than I had imagined):

There were also some fabulous photo ops of Manhattan and Brooklyn:

We went to Ellis Island and wandered around the museum for a bit...it definitely reminded me how lucky I am that I was born in this country, and made me appreciate my ancestors' struggle much more. The main building on the island was absolutely gorgeous:

And now for some pictures of random beautiful architecture:

Eagle keeping a lookout on Ellis Island

Random theatre off Broadway

When we got back to Battery Park I grabbed my luggage from the bus and caught a cab to Newark Airport, where I partook in one of the best beers on Earth before I caught my flight. After a lengthy layover in Atlanta, I finally got back to muggy Houston at 10:30 last night. Needless to say, I'm pretty worn out. MANY MANY thanks to Andy Gekoskie for inviting me to pal around with him in NYC for a few days and allowing me to experience a wonderful concert in Carnegie Hall. Bravo maestro!

-s

The Big Apple

2007-04-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am now fully convinced that New York is the best city on earth.

Once I upload the pics I'll start blogging the trip, which will probably be broken into 3 parts. But you never know, I may just get lazy and let the photos do all the work.

Missing the city and hoping to go back soon,

sarah

Minuscule rant

2007-04-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I understand that this is a big deal, but I think this deserves just as much coverage. Just because it's not happening in America doesn't mean it's not happening. Funny how that happens to be overlooked...

If you want to read part II of me and Cory's random weekend, please visit my better half's blog. It's pretty entertaining, if you ask me.

-s

Balance in the universe

2007-04-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

I had a really crappy day yesterday. Work sucked and I had to spend $600 fixing my car since apparently after 83,000 miles you're supposed to replace the brakes. Anyways, I woke up this morning totally refreshed and convincing myself that today would be better. Well, it was! Let me tell you why...

When I came back from my lunch break today, I had a voicemail from my high school band director, Andy Gekoskie. Weird, right? Turns out that his band in Virginia is playing at Carnegie Hall this weekend and his percussion instructor couldn't go to New York. So...that's where I come in! Huzzah! I'm going up there to be percussion mother hen.

So Thursday night I'm flying up to New York and staying until Sunday. Not only do I get to go to China Town, see the Blue Man Group, and go to Ellis Island for free, but I also get to wander the backstage of Carnegie Hall, a dream of mine since I was 7!

Nothing like an all-expense paid trip to NYC. When I get back I'll of course post some pics, etc.

-s

MICE!

2007-04-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Cory and I have done a lot of nothing this weekend....everclear margaritas with friends on Friday night, big breakfast Saturday morning, a little Best Buy/World Market action, going to Schulz Middle School (Waller's feeder) UIL concert contest, then watched Good Night and Good Luck last night (great film!). Today we slept in and are about to head up to the road to the Devil's Land to get the best pizza around. The weather's beautiful, and driving with the sunroof open while listening to Dave Matthews sounds like a great way to pass the time.

We also had the pleasure of visiting a Petco yesterday and watching some pretty hilarious mice:

Online Videos by Veoh.com

That's all.

-s

As promised...

2007-04-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Pictures of our skeet-shootin' trip:

And pictures of our redneck dinner night with Kate and Robert:

I'm Puck's (their cat's) favorite auntie because I bring her treats. Like a fun Corona box:

But she's still wildcat at heart. Teeth and claws like daggers!!

Happy birthday to me!

2007-04-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty fabulous birthday this year, I must admit. Too bad someone blogged about it before I did...

The day before my birthday, I was awakened by a WONDERFUL call from my friend Katie, who is a peace corps volunteer in Litein, Kenya. I haven't heard her voice in almost 8 months, so all 11 minutes of the conversation were just heavenly. That evening I was joined by 5 of my best pals from work at Chuy's for my pre-birthday dinner.

On my actual birthday, Good Friday, I woke up and was served chai by my sweetheart. I then had a brief text-chat with his sister, who was the second person to wish me happy birthday that day. I finally got up and went to work...Shauna and I went for a Starbuck's run, then Cory brought me my favorite breakfast: a toasted supreme bagel with cream cheese from the Hot Bagel Shop. My boss was a doll and let me leave at 12:30 that day (yeah, the Ballet doesn't let people off on Good Friday). I promptly came home and took a nap. Then I had to get ready for my surprise date with Cory.

We had reservations at 5:30 at Cafe le Jadeite. I tell you, it's some of the best food I've ever had. The lobster tail and filet mignon was to die:

Here's us at the restaurant. We clean up nice:

Our reservations were so early because he bought us tickets to Corteo, the touring Cirque du Soleil show. Our seats were ridiculously good.

The next day we got breakfast tacos at the local hole-in-the-wall, then headed to Angleton. My mom was ready for us: she had boiled a dozen eggs so we could dye them for Easter! Cory hearts Easter:

We were pretty meticulous with our dying efforts:

I thought they turned out quite nicely. I especially like the green one that says "I heart Cory."

Hooray birthdays! Hooray Easter! I'm a pretty lucky girl, I must admit.

Also, congrats to my pals Nichole and Clay on their engagement!!!

I know, I know...

2007-04-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of bloggage. To tell you the truth, it's not because there's nothing to talk about, but my camera broke, and how much fun is a blog without pictures? Not much. Hence, no posts.

Well, just to keep you updated, here's what Cory and I have been/will be up to:

-We had a mini-redneck weekend with our recently married pals Kate and Robert. On Friday night, we drank beer and stood around barefoot in their kitchen eating crab legs and boiled shrimp. Classy. Pictures to come...On Sunday afternoon, we rejoined those two for some good ole' fashioned skeet shootin'. Yes, can you imagine me shooting a rifle? Probably not. But I did! And I managed to actually hit 6 out of the 50 skeet. Haha. I was never very good at Duck Hunt. Cory, on the other hand, tripled my number with 18 kills. Didn't know that Pennsylvania boy had it in him! Pictures to come from this as well...

-We just booked our flights for two upcoming trips: Pittsburgh in May for Caitlin's graduation, and San Francisco in June for my niece's 1st birthday! We're pretty excited about both.

-This week marks the beginning of my week-long birthday celebration. My actual birthday is on Good Friday this year, but since I'm a goober, I spread out the parties. Today I'm getting a haircut, tomorrow I'm getting a mani/pedi with Kate, Thursday I'm having birthday dinner with all my work friends, Friday night I'm having a special dinner with Cory, and Saturday night I'm going to Angleton to celebrate our collective birthdays (my mom's is on the 5th, and me and my stepdad's are on the 6th). I'll let you know what the final cake-count is. And I'll also borrow Cory's camera to capture the excitement.

All in all, it's been a fabulous few weeks. Expect many many pictures in the next blog, I promise. Much love to all my readers!

-s

Currently listening to: "Crazy"---Gnarls Barkley

...something borrowed, something blue.

2007-03-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from last weekend's wedding:

Complete with Elvis impersonator for the first dance, of course!

On Sunday Cory and I drove up to Austin to spend some quality time with Steve and Verena. We had a killer lunch at Trudy's and drank some great Mexican martinis, then went to Mozart's for some coffee. Unfortunately on the way home, we listened to the radio broadcast of the UT game, in which my boys were absolutely crushed by USC (my most hated team EVER). Other than that, a great weekend. I fully intend on laying low this week and taking care of Kate and Robert's cat while they're in Germany for their honeymoon. It's fun being an auntie!

Something old, something new...

2007-03-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend I will partake in the beautiful nuptials of my good pals Kate and Robert, both of whom I met at Houston Ballet. They work in the production department (Robert is a killer lighting designer). Kate used to work in my position, but now has the glamorous job of taking care of the horrendous piles of paperwork that come along with costume and set rentals, as well as singlehandedly keeping the production budget in line. She's a hoss. Anyways, Kate immediately befriended me at HB and was really one of my first friends in Houston. So of course I felt honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid. I even got to play a hand in the "keep-the-ring-away-from-Kate" game before they got engaged :)

Here we are at her bachelorette party:

Me (look how long my hair is!), Shauna, and Kate

And here's Robert teaching me how to shoot a shotgun:

Since my foot is feeling a zillion times better, I'm not going to end up being the crazy bridesmaid hobbling up the aisle. I'll definitely take tons of pictures, and report back on Monday or Tuesday, after we all recuperate.

Also on the roster for the weekend is a quick jaunt up to Austin on Sunday to see pals Steve and Verena, who will be in town for Verena's conducting audition with the great Jerry Junkin. Get it, girl!

So, a very busy weekend line-up, but you know that's how I like it. Ciao!

-s

Currently addicted to: "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks

<> Door Open

2007-03-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today was the doctor's appointment.

After I finally figured out where I needed to go (Houston has the hugest medical district, it's ridiculous), I walked onto the elevator and tried to go up to the 4th floor. It went up the 2nd, then the doors didn't open. So I tried pushing 4 again, and it went up to 4....and the doors didn't open. I tried to push the 'door open' button and nothing happened. I started pushing every button possible, and nothing worked. Then the elevator started going up a floor, then coming to an abrupt halt, then down a floor, then up a floor. Finally it settled on the 4th floor....and the doors didn't open. At this point I was pretty freaked out. I hit every button I could, rang the alarm bell off and on, but nothing happened. Finally I gave in and called the call box. The lady was nice enough to tell me "oh, maintenance has been working on that elevator." REALLY? I HADN'T NOTICED. Finally a maintenance guy sent me up to the 4th and I had to squeeze through the doors to get out. Of course as soon as I get out, I face a pretty attractive, young doctor who says "Are you alright?" Yes. I'm fine.

By the time I got myself out of that anxiety-inducing incident, I was 10 minutes late for my appointment. After filling out tons of paperwork, I got three x-rays and saw the orthopedician. Thankfully I didn't break anything, but he told me it sounds like I bruised my soft tissue pretty badly (muscles, ligaments and tendons). After threatening to put me in a boot, he told me I could get away with wrapping it in an Ace bandage and wearing tennis shoes. So I'm stuck in these suckers all week.

Turns out the elevator ride was far more interesting than the appointment. And I figured you all would get a nice laugh out of it, because these things usually happen to me pretty frequently.

-s

Pictures At An Exhibition

2007-03-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

For all you visual folks out there...

Beach day!

Narcissistic fish

Foot the day of "the incident"

Foot 5 days after "the incident"

That's all.

Let Freedom Ring

2007-03-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

So Cait, Cory and I are having a ball here in Houston. Tonight is opening night of Madame Butterfly, so it should be a good time for all. Typically the day of opening night is rather slow, but not today. I've been busy setting up the theater foyer, placing ads, and dealing with a negligent post office.....such is the life.

I also faced one of my new-found foes: the dancer portraits. Big framed portraits of the principals and first soloists are always set up in the foyer on easels, and since I'm the "front of house contact", I put them up before each production. Well, last week I was putting one of the portraits on the easels, only to watch it slide off and fall straight on top of my foot (from about 3 feet in the air). It probably weighs a good 10 lbs, so yeah...that didn't feel good. It was definitely one of those "you want to scream but you just stand there with your mouth gaping open" moments. Anyways, that's what happened to my foot. It's still really bothering me, so unfortunately I'm going to get it x-rayed this weekend if possible. I get to visit the same doctor that takes care of our dancers' feet.

Besides that, things are fine. The Ballet is an extremely pet-friendly place, and we have a couple of "I'd rather die than see an animal without a home" people here, so we had a stray cat staying in the marketing collateral closet all day, just waiting to be adopted by someone from the Ballet family. Believe you me, I wanted to take her. But alas, allergies. We also heard from crazy scripture lady, who every year around subscriptions time, sends our business reply envelope back with scripture and crosses drawn all over it. Ahhh, man. You gotta love the crazies.

I promise I'll post pictures of Cait's stay and nasty pictures of my foot, but I have to wait until Cory brings his USB cord to my place. Until then.....be prepared....

-s

OMG Shoes!

2007-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Update from last post:

Cory and I got lazy and decided to stay home and watch LOST instead of go to the UH Symphonic Winds concert to hear Redline Tango. Sorry John!

In other news, I came pretty close to breaking my foot last Friday. I was setting up the dancer portraits in the Grand Foyer of the theater, and dropped one of them on my foot. I'll definitely post pictures pretty soon (Cory said it looked like my foot should have a toe-tag on it!)

Since I was hobbling pretty well on Saturday, we decided to head down to the beach and drink some Shiner whilst watching waves. It was a pretty awesome day. I love the fact that we can go down there in March and not freeze.

Cory's sister Caitlin is in town this week, so more updates to come soon....with pictures!

-s

...sleeps with the fishes.

2007-02-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hope you're ready for some pure randomness:

The U of H concert last week was extremely disappointing. They played Hindemith's Symphony in Bb, a band arrangement of Holst's The Planets, and Festive Overture, and did a bang-up job of all (and by bang-up, I mean banged-up). Not to be totally biased, but I thought UT's Wind Ensemble concert in October had a much better performance of Festive. Regardless, Cory and I are going to see UH's Symphonic Winds this week, only because they're playing John's Redline Tango.

Opening night for the ballet went very well. We got a great review from the Houston Chronicle, and we've already passed our single ticket sales goal for the rep, so needless to say, Houston Ballet is a happy place to work today. Jerome Robbins's The Concert was hysterical, and Christopher Bruce's Sergeant Early's Dream was (as all of his work is) breathtaking. What a lovely man, too. I had the pleasure of chatting with him a bit before opening night, and he was just fantastic, and humble too.

Friday night's bachelorette party was pretty entertaining. Lots of wine and cheese was consumed, followed by a late-night dash to House of Pies. Notice the difference between a typical bachelor party and a typical bachelorette party: all guys want to do is stare at naked women, and all girls want to do is eat lots of incredibly unhealthy food. Nice.

Yesterday, Cory and I took a big step as a couple: we got a fish. His name is Stravinsky (I call him Vince as a shout-out to my favorite football player). He's a mostly white goldfish with some really big orange spots on his head and tail (sportin' the colors, baby).

And that's about it. I'll let you know how Redline Tango goes this week. And speaking of John Mackey, major congratulations are in order to him and Abby on their recent engagement!!

Until next time,

s

Currently listening to:

-Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)----The Doors
-Alchemy in Silent Spaces ---Steve Bryant (if you haven't listened to Alchemy, shame on you. It'll change your life)
-Alcoba Azul from Frida---Elliott Goldenthal

Happy Anniversary!

2007-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Today marks one year since I moved to Houston, and tomorrow marks one year since I started my job at Houston Ballet. There have been so many changes in my life in the past year, it's hard to believe. Although it was pretty difficult living here at first, I've definitely grown accustomed to Houston and now love it (most of it). And there's a good possibility that 3 of my good friends are moving here within the next 6 months, so that's really exciting!

TMEA was loads of fun, as always, and I met some great new people this year. A huge shout-out goes to Jeff Gershman, who was excited to meet me after seeing several pictures of me on John Mackey's blog. Hooray for being an online celebrity, of sorts...I also got to spend some quality time with Mackey and Jonathan Newman, who are both always entertaining. I introduced Newman to the Alamo and some fantastic fajitas, and also accompanied him to a fabulous oboe clinic :) Also on the roster was the Cavaliers "hang", where I saw pals Eric Carraway and Cliff Croomes. Cory and I ended the weekend by staying with good friend Kevin Nix and enjoying his hot tub.

So now I feel like I've come full circle. I moved to Houston last year on the Sunday after TMEA...it was a great weekend to end the 'year of change' on.

This week is quite a busy one...tomorrow night I'm going to see the UH Wind Ensemble tear it up (as usual) at Jersey Village HS, Thursday night I'm going to opening night at the Ballet (for our new mixed rep), Friday night is a bachelorette party, then Saturday night Cory and I are celebrating with a friend on his birthday. I, for one, have always liked being busy :)

Lots of love to all my TMEA pals,

-s

Currently listening to: Mahler's 2nd Symphony "Resurrection"--New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein

Purple Rain

2007-02-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

I had an EXCELLENT weekend. Unfortunately for you and me, I have no photos to prove it. You'll just have to click on the links to see pics. But regardless, here's what went down:

Friday night Cory and I drove down to Pearland to have dinner with the soon-to-be newlyweds Karley and Jonathan. Karley is one of my best pals, and it was time for Cory to be introduced to the 'inner circle.' So we had dinner and drinks at Chili's and chatted it up until I started feeling bad for squatting at our waitress's table on a Friday night. After that we drove home, watched a really creepy 20/20 about a sexually deviant cult, then fell asleep at 10. I kid you not. At least I stayed up until 10. Cory was out at 9:15. We are such partyers, we are.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning (6:17am to be exact), hopped in the car, and drove to Austin for a day-trip. We stopped in La Grange to pick up ham and cheese kolaches, and I ran into a girl I went to high school with. It was seriously bizarre. She was driving to Angleton while I was driving to Austin and we met in transit.

Upon reaching Austin, we drove straight to Taco Deli, which is a little hole-in-the-wall in the neighborhood my sister used to live in. It was recently named one of the 64 best taco restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly. Cory and I have to agree. We ate some Al Pastor tacos, which consist of spicy pork, white onions, and cilantro. So incredibly good. After that, we took a nice hike to see a great view of Austin, and I had to coax Cory to get 10 feet from the edge of the cliff. Apparently he's scared of heights, but I didn't know the extent of the fear. He seriously almost had an anxiety attack, poor thing.

For lunch we went to Plucker's near UT campus and ate some amazing wings and fried pickles. There is nothing I miss more in Austin than Pluckers. It was one of the very first restaurants I ate at when I moved there, and it holds lots of great memories for me. It makes sense then, that I totally freaked out when the waiter told us it was being moved down the street to a bigger building. So upsetting. After that, we were starting to feel a little....porky....so we took a nice long walk around UT campus. Cory got a UT shirt (hot), then we toured campus and the music building, and then I showed him the stadium from the fine arts library, which has a great view of the Jumbotron. Turns out that construction is well underway to close in the northern end of the stadium. Both bottom and top tiers will continue all the way around so the stadium becomes a horseshoe. Thank God they're adding seats, because there are never enough.

After that we went to Whole Foods Headquarters in downtown Austin. It's the hugest Whole Foods EVER. My favorite was definitely the bread/cake/pastry part of the store. Yummm. Then we drove down to Town Lake, met up with my pal Jenny for a few minutes, then we took a walk around the lake and envied everyone's cute dogs. After that we went to Rudy's and had the most fantastic BBQ. Cory was impressed. Then we had chocolate gelato at Dolce Vita, a cute little cafe near my old neighborhood.

To conclude our day of 'general larking about', we did a quick-change in the music building then went to see Austin Symphony perform with Evelyn Glennie. Folks, she is seriously ridiculous. Just awe-inspiring. They also played Pines of Rome, which wasn't so ridiculous (or rather, ridiculous in a negative way). Eh, Glennie was worth it though. Turns out that it was Austin Symphony's last concert in Bass Concert Hall, so that was kinda cool.

Then we hopped in the car and drove home, arriving back in Houston at 12:52. Long day, but well worth the driving. You just can't get food like that in Houston. Perhaps eventually I will find places that somewhat make up for Houston's lack of character.

Yesterday we joined the millions of people watching the most boring Super Bowl ever. The commercials sucked, the Bears sucked. Go Colts! At least we had good food and good beer.

Now Cory and I will fast for 6-7 days until we burn off all the fat we consumed. Yum.

-s

R.I.P. Victor

2007-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

My cat of nearly thirteen years died this morning around 9am from cancer. I'm trying to remind myself that it's just a cat, not a person, but the fact is...he was family. He was the best pet that ever lived.

Rest in peace, Victor.
1994-2007

My apologies...

2007-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

to those of you who consistently read this blog and have had no new news from me in the past 3 weeks. To be honest, I've been a little overwhelmed with some professional issues, and am currently stuck with a cold that I can't seem to shake. To add to that, there isn't anything extremely blog-worthy going on in my life, so why post? Hopefully something will come along, but until then....

Much love,
s

Go Colts!

New beginnings

2007-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

First off, I apologize for my lack of bloggage lately. As is customary for this time of year, things have been chaotic and out of the ordinary. Here's some catch-up:

Several weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to go to a wine bar with our prima ballerina, Lauren Anderson, who retired at the end of this season's The Nutcracker. She's a true Houston celebrity, recognized everywhere, and best of all, she was friends with the bartender :) Notice what 24 years of dancing experience can teach you (as far as posing goes):

After I tied up loose ends at work, it was off to Chicago! Midwest was a blast, of course, and I got my Giordano's fix. I also had the delight of eating a Chicago-style hot dog, my new guilty pleasure. Too bad they don't make those down here. I guess I'll have to settle for barbeque...

Nothing too crazy happened (not nearly as filthy as last year...probably because Eric wasn't there), but I did have Frank Ticheli call me hot, or "lovely" as Jonathan put it. Hilarious. I also had the extreme pleasure of spending some quality time with Jonathan, Steve, John, and Jim:

Of course, I hung out with the usual suspects as well (always entertaining).

All in all, a fantastic trip. Good food, GREAT people, and a few good concerts. Too bad it didn't snow.

After Chicago I flew back to Houston, picked up my sister from the airport, and we headed down to Angleton. I had a blast spending time with my sisters and my niece, who is now 6 months old and downright hilarious. She's almost sitting up by herself, and loves to sing and giggle. She also has the best grin I think I've ever seen:

As usual, I cried my eyes out when they all left. It's hard having half my family in Houston and half in San Francisco. Aria is a completely different person from when I saw her last, and it sucks not being able to see her grow every day.

So what did I get for Christmas?, you may ask. Well, I got the ever-sleek 80 GB video iPod, which I promptly bought all the accessories for. It's weird knowing that a credit-card-sized machine holds more files than the entire hard drive of my computer. How things change in 5 years. I also got some gift cards and money, but the best presents were definitely from Cory. He searched high and low and found me the recordings of Philadelphia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti playing Respighi's Roman Trilogy and Rachmaninov's 2nd and 3rd concertos. I also got a Cavies hoodie, some iTunes, and the best yet: a paper hat and placemat from STEAK N' SHAKE. Man. He's the best boyfriend ever.

For New Years, Cory and I laid low and made lasagna (we made it ourselves!!). We toasted at midnight and promptly fell asleep at 12:3o. I'm kind of glad 2006 is over. It was definitely the most difficult year I've ever been through, so many life changes and big decisions. But I know for a fact I would not be nearly as happy as I am right now if I hadn't been through the hardships, so for that I'm thankful. I'm looking forward to a new year with new opportunities and experiences. I'm so very blessed.

I hope you all feel as optimistic as I do about 2007. Here's to a wonderful new year! Cheers!

-s

Busy, busy, busy

2006-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Midwest in a week. Thank God.

Out of control...

2006-12-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

I just had to share what is quite possibly the most amazing conversation I've ever been a part of....and by amazing, I mean hilarious:

Me: "If I told you to go to Hell, would you go?"
Cory: "I'd go to Hell and back if you told me to."
Me: "Who did that?"
Cory: "Meat Loaf, dear."
*laughter ensues*
Cory: "Orpheus and Eurydice."

Classic.

'Tis the season

2006-11-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of things:

The Wortham Theater Center Treelighting Ceremony, which I have the extreme pleasure of planning each year, went incredibly smoothly last Wednesday. Not only did the kiddos thoroughly enjoy The Nutcracker rats...

but we had a couple of rats who took it upon themselves to do jigs whilst the bagpipers played outside...

On Thursday I overdosed on turkey, cornbread stuffing, cheesecake and pumpkin pie with my family. Friday morning, my mom and I decided to kick off the season and get started on Christmas decorating. On went Harry Connick, Jr. and Bing Crosby, and up went the tree! Victor supervised...

And then played in the tissue paper that the ornaments were wrapped in...Christmas is his favorite holiday...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it makes Christmas seem even closer. I'm lovin' it!

-s

Excited squeal

2006-11-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

That pretty much sums up how I feel about my life at the moment. Although I'm busy and stressed out with Nutcracker season, my life outside of work couldn't possibly get better...so I guess it makes the 9 to 5 jorb a little easier to stomach.

In the news:

Went to Houston Symphony yesterday to hear Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony ('Pathetique'). I loved both of them, but man.....Yefim Bronfman played the HELL out of that concerto. I've been wanting to hear that live for a good 5-6 years now, and I must say it was everything I thought it would be. It also helps that I talked to one of the Symphony trumpet players this morning at work, and he told me Yefim was completely humble and easy to work with...what a star.
The Nutcracker opens this Friday to a sold-out audience, so that means no free seats for me :( That's alright, I'll catch it at one of the other 31 performances...
Our one-night-only gala, The Jubilee of Dance, is next Friday, and it should be quite the spectacle. Artistic Director Stanton Welch has restaged his Carmina Burana for our company, and the work will include a 176-member chorus on stage wearing long black hooded robes (can you say creeeee-py?). Even if the choreography isn't up to snuff, how could you go wrong hearing Carmina live?
Today marks one month until I arrive at the MidWest Clinic. To say that I'm excited is ridiculously understated. I'll be helping out at the BCM booth again this year, chillin' with Whitacre, Newman, Bonney, and Bryant. Hopefully I'll fit some Mackey time in there as well. Also on the must-do list: lunch with Cam at BOA, drinks with the mighty Waller HS staff (Greg = filthy), Michigan Avenue with Kevin Nix and Dan Cuevas, and the Dallas Wind Symphony concert. So much to do...so little time. I guess I'll forego sleep for a couple of days.

That's about it. Life is so much easier when you have something in the near future that you're really looking forward to. Can't wait to see everyone!

-s

For Jefe

2006-11-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

A fantastic rendering of Trogdor by a random KUHF employee at our booth this weekend.

My best Britney impersonation

2006-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

While at a Nutcracker promotion today at The Woodlands Children's Festival, I got the splendid opportunity to hold this beautiful albino Burmese python:

Random, huh? As you can tell, I'm not afraid of snakes. At least, not constrictors. Venomous snakes on the other hand...

My job for the day was making sure no one took out our Sugar Plum Fairy (Katelyn) or Nutcracker Soldier (Garrett). For the most part, the kiddos were kind:

The Houston Symphony booth was abuzz with future musicians:

Just what the world needs....more percussionists :)

I also had the very cool experience of having backstage credentials to get into the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Our changing rooms and food were in the lounges that the rock stars use...I'd like to think I hung out on the very couch that Dave Matthews once sat on...

It was a very long day, and in the back of my mind I couldn't get over the fact that I'd rather be in Indianapolis right now. At least I got a couple of great texts from Nick Nett and Matt Barwise: "You should be here! Barwise and I will have a drink in your honor tonight! Have a great day!" Hooray....I was missed :)

-s

Overload

2006-11-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while, but things have started to pick up around here. Let me put it this way: my November and December are pretty insane. However, I'm very proud to say my work responsibilities will nicely balance with my 'other work' commitments in the next couple of months. Work: Opening nights of The Nutcracker and Jubilee of Dance, and 9 (yep 9) Nutcracker promotions. 'Other work': BOA San Antonio, Rach's 3rd concerto concert, and now Midwest Clinic. For those who know me, I thrive on busyness. There's pretty much only one speed setting for me and that's 'fast'.

Since BOA San Antonio has come and gone, let me do a quick recap:

I got to stay with the lovely Kevin Nix and enjoy the fruits of his labor, namely a brand new house with a fabulous hot tub. Friday I left work a tad early and drove to Reagan to catch the tail-end of rehearsal. I ended up not seeing anything, but was very impressed that they rented out floodlights so they could rehearse in the dark. After that, I drove down to the Alamodome, picked up Jeff, and we headed to La Hacienda for fajitas and sopapillas. After that, we drove back to downtown and met up with BOA people to have drinks at Pat O'Brien's.

I had the EXTREME pleasure of talking to Matt Barwise via cell phone (from Indianapolis). Matt and I go way back....we used to live at BOA headquarters together :) After that, I dropped Jeff at his hotel and then met up with Kevin and Dan Cuevas to see The Departed, which kicked a whole lotta arse. By the time that was all said and done, it was 1am and time for bed.

The next morning I woke up and went to Reagan's rehearsal for a bit....and FINALLY got to climb the tower. Here's a pic:
After rehearsal I drove down to the Alamodome, went to the warmup area and drove around in a golf cart with Nick for a while, then stopped by band checkin with Monica, then got Travis to get me all set up in the press box for the last block of prelims. Pretty sweet. After that I met up with the Reagan staff for dinner, then went back to watch finals (partly from the upper tier with Dan C. and partly with Cory and the Waller band). After the show, I drove up to Kevin's, and all of us sat in the hot tub til the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to brunch at Le Peep, our favorite. After that I hit the road and came home. All in all, a fantastically busy weekend. Got to see everyone and their mother, and had a splendid time seeing people I wish I could see more often.

For those of you who want to know, I'll be flying into Chicago late-night Dec. 20 (probably arriving at the hotel around midnight), and leaving Dec. 23rd afternoon (with plenty of time to see Steve's Loose ID). Can't wait for Giordano's and snow. Huzzah!

Until next time....

-s

Currently listening to: Ben Folds -- "Still Fighting It"

It's official....

2006-11-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am going to MidWest.

Talk amongst ya'selves...

Ben Folds: Musical Genius

2006-11-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Cory and I went to the Ben Folds/Houston Symphony concert last night, and it was probably one of the more ridiculously fantastic concerts I've been to. He sounded better live than on CD, and plays the piano like a madman. The Houston Symphony wasn't bad either...they sounded amazing (and it helped that Ben's music orchestrated for full orchestra was just awesome). Our seats were crazy-good: second tier center, with full view of Ben and the orchestra. Man, I just can't tell you how awesome it was. Let's recap: last night was "ridiculously fantastic", "amazing", "awesome", and "crazy-good." Yeah, that sounds about right. Now I just need to go out and buy every single CD he's ever released.

Look how dorky and adorable he is:

Next concert up: Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto and Tchaik's Pathetique Symphony. Yessss, free center orchestra tickets :)

-s

Bedknobs and broomsticks

2006-10-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 days I've had the joy of being in Colorado Springs, Colorado for our yearly revenue summit with Target Resource Group. TRG is our outsourced marketing strategy firm with which we work incredibly closely regarding all marketing efforts---direct mail, telemarketing, group sales, e-mail marketing, ticketing, etc. In short, they're a think-tank for arts groups looking to make some serious dough. The revenue summit is basically a 2 day intensive workshop where we set all single ticket and subscription prices for the upcoming season (07-08) and also set goals for our subscription campaign (which will be around $2 million next season...crazy!).

So we flew into CO on Monday night and stayed until today. Luckily for us, there was a severe blizzard in central Colorado all day today (6-8" of snow), and flood warnings/thunderstorm warnings for Houston all day today. More about this later.

Tuesday morning, our ticketing manager Angela and I had the opportunity to do a little exploring before our workshop began. We ended up at Target (which was across the street), where we bought some fabulous winter clothes, which are lacking in Texas. I got a great camel-colored knee length coat, a knit hat with matching knit gloves, and a teal scarf. Then we grabbed bagels at the local bagel bar and headed out "toward the mountains" to see what we could find. Here are a few things:

A small stream with some great foliage (imagine that...their trees actually change colors in the fall!)

Angie on an enormous fallen tree

After our outing, we had to hit the books.....or Excel spreadsheets, rather. We had a four hour session Tuesday afternoon, then an 8 hour day on Wednesday. All day. Looking at spreadsheets. Plugging in numbers. Saying "ok, if we raised our Great Love Stories mini-subscription package by $3, it will give us a difference of ___%, and yield $___ by the end of the subscription campaign." I'm not kidding. It was this tedious. By the end of Wednesday, our brains looked like this.

Wednesday night we knew we were in for a winter blizzard, but we honestly didn't realize it was going to be as bad as it was. We woke up Thursday and it was white, everywhere. The Colorado Springs airport was closed for half the day, and our flight was one of the first planes to take off today. As much of a pain in the ass as it was, it sure was pretty. Is this the only snow I'll see this season? Only time will tell...

Our flight was absolutely terrible. I'm TERRIFIED of falling...I hate that sinking feeling in your stomach. So you can imagine how much I hate flying in turbulence (in fact, I felt a little like this person). Not only did we get the really gusty winds of Colorado, we also got the thunderstorms of Houston. It was pretty awful. Overall, the trip was great, when I was on the ground. It was so nice meeting all the TRG folks in person. I've been working really closely for the past 8 months with Stacy and Jim, and now finally have a face with the name.

So that was that. Now I'm home and am totally amped for this and this, where I get to see the always-lovely Jeffrey and Camilla. Woohoo! San Antonio, here I come!

-s

Currently listening to: "How Come You Don't Call Me" by Alicia Keys

Livin' the life

2006-10-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun things happening in my professional life...let's start with my 'real' job:

I got a free ticket to check out opening night of The Alley Theater's 'Much Ado About Nothing.' It was really fun (I had never been in the Alley before, what a poor Houstonian I am), and the actors were fantastic, but geeez.....what a weird take on Shakespeare. The sets, costumes, and music were just plain odd. I described it as "Shakespeare on acid". Eh, it's a free ticket. I enjoyed myself. Who cares?
Just found out this morning that I also scored 2 free comps to check out Houston Symphony performing Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique." I'm wayyyy excited about this one. Anyone who knows me knows I love Rachmaninov, so it'll be tons of fun.
I'll also be attending Houston Symphony's concert with Ben Folds on November 1. Too bad I actually had to pay for this ticket. Regardless, this concert is going to kick serious arse.

Now for my "side" job:

I worked the Bands of America Houston/Pearland regional this past weekend, and it was SO much fun. I interned with them last summer, so it was great seeing all my favorite people again. I woke up at 4:45 Saturday morning and arrived for set-up at 6:15, totally in the dark, and it was actually chilly outside. From about 7am-3:30pm I worked band check-in and mingled with all the band directors as they got to the show. I saw soo many great people! Mark Chambers was kind enough to bring his wife and babies to see me, and Cory was even more kind by bringing me Sonic on behalf of the Waller band. Next year if I work the regional, I'm requesting pancakes from one of the morning groups :) After check-in was over, I ran around like mad doing odds n' ends: counting out medallions for the class champions, herding the directors to the finalist meeting, doing prelims and finals retreat (always entertaining), chatting with the bands on the sidelines before their performance...just all sorts of things. Oh, and let's not forget the most important task of the day: playing with the Chambers children on the track during their encore performance. What a day. I finally went to sleep at 3am Sunday morning. Major props go to the Reagan parents who told me after the show "we were so proud of you walking around the field looking like such an important person!"

The BOA San Antonio regional is the first weekend of November, and thankfully I don't have to work that one. I do, however, get to stay with the delightful Kevin Nix, go out for drinks with the BOA staff, and *hopefully* attend a very special dinner on Saturday evening before the finals show.

What a fun time it is for me! November and December are filling up really quickly with Nutcracker promotions and such, which looks like a lot to handle now but in the end will be pretty fun I think. I should try to get a picture of me driving around with Sugar Plum Fairies and rats in my car.

Sorry for the rambling....you guys probably don't care about my escapades.

-s

Rest in Peace

2006-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Bevo XIII

Born February 1984
Died October 2006

Bevo XIII died less than 48 hours after the University of Texas Longhorns pummelled the Oklahoma Sooners, 28-10. To quote a fabulous movie, "It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear."

Rest in peace, Bevo. We'll miss you.

Ugh

2006-10-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

Further proof that men are retarded.

Attack of the killer links

2006-10-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Austin and seeing all my girls. Nichole's birthday was Friday, so of course we all went to 6th Street and drank ourselves silly (is there any other way to celebrate?). I have to admit, we were a pretty good-lookin' group o' gals:

First we went to Fado, our favorite Irish pub, and had some snakebites. Then we went to Spill and danced for a bit, and finally we ended up at Shakespeare's, which is kind of lame, but at least there were places to sit (by that point we needed chairs). And last but certainly not least, Jessica and I partook in every Austin drunkard's favorite pizzeria, Roppolo's Pizza, while sitting on the curb of 6th Street. In retrospect, this was probably not the best idea (the curb, not the pizza). However, we got into wayyy less trouble this year for Nic's birthday than last year (last year involved policemen, making out on street corners, and some R-rated dancing). Somehow September 29th brings out the best, and worst, in us.

The following day, we continued the tradition of eating way-greasy vittles and went to Maudie's for breakfast. Did we get migas or huevos rancheros like normal people? No, we went straight for the good stuff---burritos. At 10am. Of course after that we went into food coma and went back to bed for 3 hours. Once we woke up, we were, of course, ready for more greasy food. Enter Double Dave's pizza rolls and UT football. We blasted past Sam Houston State as expected and even put in our 3rd string quarterback, Mount McCoy. After the game I received a pleasant text message from John Mackey (who was in town for a UT Wind Ensemble concert)...and of course it was time for the drinking to begin AGAIN.

I picked up John at his hotel and we went down to 4th street to sip on some Grey Goose (cause we're classy like that). I also convinced a waitress to give him a free vodka on the rocks for his birthday. By that point, I felt it was high-time that I introduced him to 6th street, so we took the tour o' bars and ended up here. Again. Even John looked ashamed, and he hadn't even been there the night before like I had:

Check out that behemoth of a watch. Like I said, classy.

The following day I went to the UT Wind Ensemble concert. Jerry kicked off the show with a crazy-fast rendition of Festive Overture, and he ended the concert with John's Redline Tango, which was pretty sweet. What made it sweeter? Oh, I don't know, the fact that I sat next to the composer himself. After the concert, I went to one of my old haunts to look at the Godzillatron. Look at this monster:

After that, I got some BBQ from Rudy's and settled in for the night with Nichole, half-watching a pretty terrible action movie, half-playing Texasopoly.

I took Monday off from work (thank God) so I could have lunch with John and more importantly, take a breather from ballet. We went to Trudy's for some killer flautas, then I took him to a middle school to do his composer-thang. I, of course, was incredibly sad leaving Austin. I always am.

All in all, the only thing bad that happened all weekend was the fact that Nichole's cat insisted on sucking my hair while I slept on her living room floor at night. It reminded me a lot of another cat I know who shares the same dirty habit with fingers.

I probably should have told you this sooner, but check out John's blog in the next couple of days for a much funnier and more colorful version of these events. Unfortunately I lack his comical skillz :(

-s

Currently listening to: Etude in E Major--Chopin
Currently reading: Mao's Last Dancer--Li Cunxin

Proudest Monkey

2006-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

I just had to write and tell you how proud I am of my cooking skillz. Every Monday, I try to cook something new so I can eventually learn how to feed myself properly (amazing how many people never learn). So on today's menu was sauteed mushrooms with brie and bread for my appetizer, a romaine salad with tomato, mushrooms, and bacon, then lasagna for the entree. I've been craving mushrooms lately, can't you tell?

Sorry for the sadness of the last post. When I get down, I always try to tell myself, "Hey, at least I'm not a pygmy shrew."

-s

Stuck in a moment

2006-09-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

You ever have those days where you feel sad but can't pinpoint the reason? That was today. I'm glad they don't come around that often, because it's very unsettling.

Perhaps it's because today is Katie's birthday, and she's officially in Kenya, and I can't tell her how much I love her.

Let me give you a little backstory to help you understand. My last semester of college, I was fortunate enough to grow incredibly close to 6 wonderful girls, all of whom had been in my life in some form or fashion since I began school at UT. It was only that last semester that for some reason we all came together. At that moment, we needed each other.

Pictured left to right: Charlotte, Kelly, Nichole, Shannon, Jessica, Me, Katie

Completely inseparable, we grocery shopped together, bought scandalous birthday presents for each other together, took care of each other when we were sick, and laughed together. Laughed A LOT together. And cried together. Cried A LOT together.

Lately I've been having these moments where I get flashbacks of what my life used to be with them, and I start wondering...will life ever be that happy again? Will I ever find people like that again? You have those moments, and you don't realize how meaningful they are. Like this photo for instance. It's the only picture (that I know of) with all 7 of us in it. And I remember the day perfectly.

I feel completely isolated here, and I hate it. I want my friends back. I want my life back, the way it was. And the awful part about time is there's no rewind button.

-s

Currently listening to: Snow Patrol---Chasing Cars
Currently reading: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Beyond the star-canopy must a loving Father dwell

2006-09-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

A quick report on the awesome Houston Symphony concert I went to today:

On the Transmigration of Souls--John Adams
I knew this piece was going to be pretty heavy going into the concert, so at least I was mentally prepared. The Houston Chronicle did a really nice write-up about it last week, and I was excited to see the visual presentation that Barrett created for the piece. It was haunting, watching shadows and reflections while the piece was being played. I appreciated Adams' work for the sheer fact that he put no brave face on...it was ugly, dissonant, angst-ridden, confused, somber....all of the emotions we felt after 9/11. Most of the audience walked out of the theater at intermission kind of shell-shocked. The piece didn't actually sink in until I verbalized what I felt about it to my mom, who went to the concert with me. I got pretty choked up when I told her "You know, it's heartbreaking to watch those shadows, and know that's all the victims' families have left...shadows of the departed."

Symphony No. 9--Ludwig van Beethoven
This is a piece that I have always wanted to hear live. I've always been a fan, of course (probably my second favorite symphony after Mahler's 2nd), but I knew, just like Mahler's 2nd, that there's nothing quite like hearing a chorus and symphony in person. It was pretty much everything I expected. It certainly wasn't a perfect rendition of it, but the 4th movement is just amazing regardless. I sat there with goosebumps the whole time. It's fascinating to me knowing that Beethoven could write that when he was losing his hearing. It kind of puts me in my place, actually, because if I were in that position I'd be angry as hell with God and everyone else. It left the whole audience in a much better mood than at intermission, and my mom and I felt ready to take on another week at work. If I had it my way, I'd have a live chorus and symphony play Ode to Joy to me every morning when I wake up.

So that was the concert. It was so much fun! I haven't been to that concert hall since I was in high school, so it was like homecoming in a way. I think I may catch Scheherazade in a couple of weeks (it's an all-Russian program, and like I told Cory, I love me some Russians).

-s

Currently reading: Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

i thank you god for this most amazing day

2006-09-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

I know the title of this blog is at odds with all the horrible memories we have of this day....anything but 'amazing.' Along with remembering those who died today 5 years ago, we also must remember that we're still here, life goes on, and each day brings us a new opportunity to tell our loved ones just how much they mean to us---a luxury the victims' families and friends no longer have. That is amazing.

To me, the best way of remembering is not mourning what we've lost, but celebrating what we have. So to all my friends who read this blog, please know I thank God every day for each and every one of you.

-s

Currently listening to: Biebl's Ave Maria

I heart New York

2006-09-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

So Houston Ballet hit The New York Times today. Sure, the piece is actually about Glen Tetley, but we're mentioned several times (and they picture Tetley in rehearsal with our dancers...the photos were taken Monday). The best part: the first voicemail I received this morning was from a lady I've been in touch with who works in the NYT's advertising department. She told me "Hey in case you guys didn't know, you made the paper today. Congrats!" It's so weird working for a nationally recognized company. Let's face it folks: I have a cool job.

In more ballet news, opening night is tomorrow night. The rep is.....interesting. I saw the first ballet (Hans van Manen's Grosse Fuge....pronounced "grossa foog") for the 2nd time at dress rehearsal last night, and it's still just as suggestive as it was the first time (ok I admit, it was probably more suggestive, since Sergio was dancing). Can't wait to see how conservative Houstonians will react. I bet the old ladies are either a) going to ask Sergio to name his price so he will dance like that with them, or b) have a heart attack on the spot because that's the most action they've seen in a long, long time. I don't know, should be in the very least entertaining.

-s

P.S. For all the music lovers who read my blog: have you ever re-discovered a piece of music that reminds you how amazing it is to be alive? I mean, something that reveals to you a part of your soul you had forgotten? I just did that with Riccardo Muti's interpretation of Respighi's Pines of Appian Way, as played by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Those are the moments life is made of. For me at least.

You never know

2006-09-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of bloggage lately. The past two weeks have been not only busy, but just a little......'off'.

Theater District Open House went really well. I worked most of last weekend at the theater making sure everything and everyone was in its place. I swear the theater is at its most beautiful when it's empty. The feeling of walking around the stage with no one around and thousands of red cushioned seats staring at you is one of the cooler experiences of life. The day of the event, I was running around like mad making sure everyone was taken care of. Walkie in one hand, cell phone in the other. My mantra: be everywhere. As much as I complain about event planning being extremely stressful, I absolutely love it. From the 'calm before the storm' the night before, to the troubleshooting during the event, to the adrenaline-pumping exhaustion after it's over....I just thrive on it. And the payoff had to be seeing all the little kids play with the rats from The Nutcracker....hysterical! All in all, a great event.

I made the naive assumption that life would be a little less hectic after Open House was over, but alas, it's been nothing but work, work, work. As of today, opening night for the season is 6 days away. Throw in a shortened week due to Labor Day, and it's a madhouse at our offices. However, I did take a minute to chit-chat with Glen Tetley, who is a visiting choreographer (and one of the most famous of our day). I know if I was a dancer, that would have been the highlight of my life, but being a musician, I just shrug and make a note to self saying "ok, remember that some people would kill for that moment."

Well, it's really true what they say: no rest for the weary. I start a 3-Saturday-long Photoshop course tomorrow morning (from 9am-4pm!), then toss in the fact that we're in performance every weekend of September, and you can imagine how insane that is. Basically, I'll easily be working 6 days a week all month, with a Sunday performance here and there to attend. I guess I'll just sleep in October....

Sorry for the lame post with no pictures, but I figure I owe it to my blog pals to write something substantial every now and then. Much love...

-s

Currently listening to: Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

Blissful exhaustion

2006-08-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Open House went really well, and I got a great picture with the Nutcracker family:

Once I regain consciousness, I'll blog about it. Goodnight....

-s

Anne Hathaway?

2006-08-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Never would have guessed Anne Hathaway or Eva Longoria....but I'll take it!

Thanks for the fun site, Cory!

-s

When it rains...

2006-08-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

To say I've been busy/stressed out this week would be the biggest understatement known to man. Throw in a stomach flu, a pulled muscle in my back, and insomnia, and I am just not a happy girl these days. Please send well-wishes...

-s

I don't know how I feel about this...

2006-08-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Proof that I am now an adult: my mom let me have a brownie before dinner the other day.

Louisiana Bayou

2006-08-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

'So much to say' about the Dave Matthews Band concert, but alas, words cannot express. I was telling my friend Katie (who went with me) that I think every concert is great in its own way...the Toadies concert I went to in 2002 was so kick-ass/angry/in your face it was amazing. The Coldplay concert I went to in 2003 was so emotional I cried the entire concert. But the Dave concert....I was just in awe of their talent. It's RIDICULOUS, folks. It makes me think 99% of bands out there are amateurs. Boyd (the violinist) was extra on-fire last night, and well, Carter puts all other percussionists to shame. Dave sounded better live than he does on the studio albums, which is an amazing talent (and he didn't look too bad either).

For the Dave fans out there, this was the set list:
One Sweet World
Dream Girl
Proudest Monkey
Satellite*
Louisiana Bayou*
The Idea of You
Grey Street
So Much To Say
Too Much*
Sleep to Dream Her
Last Stop*
Cant Stop
Jimi Thing
Everyday
Ants Marching*

Encore:
Hunger for the Great Light
Tripping Billies

*Indicates sheer awesomeness

This was my first Dave concert and Katie's 10th. She had never heard Proudest Monkey in concert, and had only heard Satellite once, I think (she was amazed they even played it). In all, a fantastic experience. I promised Katie to go to a Dave concert the next 2 summers since she'll be in Africa. Sharing the experience with her before she left was probably the best goodbye there could be. I love you Katie!

-s

Listening to: 'The Last Stop' by DMB (Live in Chicago, Dec. 19, 1998)

YESSS!

2006-08-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

DAVE MATTHEWS CONCERT TONIGHT!

Will report back shortly...

P.S.

2006-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

New song I'm addicted to: "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes

(Btw, this is one of the songs I bought with my 5 free iTunes downloads. The other 4 songs to make the cut: "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, "Airport Song" by Guster, and "Hung Up" by Madonna)

Under pressure

2006-08-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my lord, could today be ANY more overwhelming?

In work news:
Our 2006-2007 season opens in 3 1/2 weeks. As if that wasn't enough chaos in my life, the annual Theater District Open House is quickly approaching on August 27th. For those who don't know what this is, read the press release. Basically it's a five-hour free event where all the major performance venues in the theater district open their doors and invite the general public to take backstage tours, take pictures with dancers/singers/actors, and buy tickets to the upcoming season. Why is this so overwhelming? Oh, maybe because I'M IN CHARGE OF PLANNING THE ENTIRE BALLET PORTION OF THE EVENT. Our 'set-up' will include a photo booth where kids can take pictures with costumed dancers, a subscriptions and single ticket sales booth, a Q&A session with our prima ballerina Lauren Anderson, and several sneak peak areas in the theater where the public can look at costumes and sets that will be used in our 06-07 season. There are more details than I can even count. It will definitely put my event-planning skills to the test. I'm just hoping I survive to see the event all the way through. If I stop blogging after Aug. 27th, be afraid. Be very afraid.

In other work-related news, I got a major compliment today from my boss. He was at a marketing conference last weekend and received many kudos about our e-newsletter (which I totally do) and our MySpace page (which I totally do). Hooray for me...I'm good at my job I guess.

In 'my other job' news:
I got the confirmation today that I will be doing band check-in for BOA Houston/Pearland this fall. It's kind of a big deal since this is considered a major show, and Cam is quite protective of her Texas band directors. If all else fails, at least it will be interesting. The worst part of the whole experience is having to tell the directors that Cam isn't at the show. Breaks my heart (and theirs too).

Ok, that's it. Boring job news. I promise in the near future things will get more interesting. Oh yeah, I see Dave Matthews this Friday...TOTALLY STOKED! I will report about that later...

Au revoir, loyal blog-readers!

-s

Currently listening to: Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen

Splooie, or something like that...

2006-08-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

So last night I was joined by the always-lovely Cory "Do It" Meals at the local theater to watch the live broadcast of the DCI Quarterfinals. I must have truly missed DCI San Antonio this year because I actually sat in the theater for FOUR HOURS and watched some 14 corps. I have to admit, after a while it all blurs together and only the really bad and the really good stand out in your mind, so here are some thoughts:

Madison Scouts
Eh, not as good as last year. But as always it was fun to cheer on Zach and Yip. There was a great shot of Yip in the center of the pit...I was so proud! Love those boys.

Carolina Crown
So I am not the biggest fan of this corps. I saw them at DCI Houston, and they just left a bad taste in my mouth. I think mostly because all of their shows I've seen seems really 'high school' to me. However, when I watched them last night, they sounded RIDICULOUS. I don't know if my ears were just crazy, but they sounded like chocolate. So full and round. Just fabulous.

Santa Clara Vanguard
I have reservations about this show. It's obviously an improvement over last year and looks/feels more like old-school Vanguard, but one of the reasons I fell in love with them in 1999 was because they played music that everyone else was too afraid to play...like the modern, not-so-friendly-to-the-ear type music. Well, they went with original Key Poulan, and yeah it was okay but it was just missing the Vanguardian flare. Anyways, the visual program was outstanding (I never thought I would say that about SCV....ever) and I loved it. Vanguard's back! And of course the Vanguard yell gave me goosebumps.

Bluecoats
They're such a great corps, but jeez, I was completely bored by this show. Their pit was smokin' though. I'm really glad to see them flourishing.

Cadets
There is just absolutely nothing to say. Ok wait, there is.
a) They had to go and ruin a great show like last year's by doing a more over-the-top version this year.
b) Maybe this is the ballet side of me talking, but if you're going to put that girl in that costume, she needs to weigh about 100 lbs less. Or even 80. Irregardless, it ain't right!
c) Do they not understand that by doing the same thing they did last year, they are in no way innovative?

Phantom Regiment
Man, this corps is finally appealing to me. Last year I was astounded, and this year was no different. They could have sounded fuller for sure (too trumpety for me), but the music repertoire was impeccable. I've been wishing a good high school band or drum corps would use Biebl's Ave Maria for their ballad for quite some time now, and there it is. The arrangement of it was dead-on, too, just the way I would have done it. And I'm not a huge fan of putting Mahler on the field, but it worked. Right on.

Blue Devils
Eh, I guess it was my favorite show musically since 2000. Just not a big fan of their style. And the fish and horse flags were just silly. Wayyyy too literal. Come on, give it some thought.

The Cavaliers
Okay seriously, this corps should not even be competing with the rest. They're like, Division I+ or something. It's just starting to become ridiculous how much better designed their show is compared to everyone else. The depth of the design team's thought processes while putting the show together is very apparent, and the crazy part is that their execution is just as good. So Cavies, you've already won it by my standards. Simply put, you rock.

I was pretty dead by the end of all this, but I got a nice little perk after the show. Cory introduced me to the Cavaliers timpani player from 2000, and it may as well have been a celebrity-sighting. Pretty sweet. It's a sickness, I know. At least I admit it.

So that's all. Great drum corps season...too bad it's over. But that just means marching band season is about to start!

-s

Huzzah!

2006-08-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

One more reason for me to visit Indianapolis.

Makes me happy!

-s

Fun little game

2006-08-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

I just won 5 free downloads from iTunes...does anyone have any suggestions?

Eeeesh

2006-08-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Glad this didn't happen while I was there.

Can't get enough...

2006-08-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

of my new iTunes playlist called "Happy". Check it:

The Who.......Baba O'Riley
U2........Desire
Dave Matthews Band......Drive In, Drive Out
The Cure........Boys Don't Cry
311........Champagne
Moby.......South Side
Alanis Morissette............You Learn
Gnarls Barkley..........Crazy
Queen............Fat-Bottomed Girls
Rick Springfield.............Jesse's Girl
Coldplay........Shiver
Collective Soul.........Dandy Life
Dave Matthews Band.........Dancing Nancies
Pearl Jam........Dissident
Kanye West feat. Adam Levine..........Heard 'Em Say
Keane.........Everybody's Changing
Coldplay..........Square One

Still trying to get the order tweaked to fix the flow, but jeez it's a good one.

Back to life, back to reality, Part III

2006-07-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 28--MANDONNA

I don't even remember what we did all day Friday, but Amy and I decided last-minutely to have dinner at Nirvana, one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco (I've eaten there the last 3 times I've gone, which is a lot by my standard). It lies in the heart of the Castro, has great drinks and great Burmese/Indian/Chinese fusion food, and the bartenders are the hottest thing you've ever seen (too bad they're all gay). While walking to the restaurant, a homeless man mistook me and Amy for lipstick lesbians, which made the Castro experience complete. Thankfully Amy knows the manager there (she taught him how to bake), so we didn't have to wait and got a great table. We started dinner with a couple of drinks--I had the mango mai-tai and Mims had the Purple Rain (a pomegranate martini). Then we had some pretty awesome appetizers and noodles.

Afterwards, we drove to the Mission to catch up with some of Amy's friends, Jen and Kevin, who were eagerly awaiting a concert at 12 Galaxies bar. This was no ordinary concert, folks. It was MANDONNA, the all-male Madonna tribute band:

I know the picture's not that great, but I'm sure you'll notice that the lead singer is a quasi-overweight bearded man wearing a Vogue costume, and the two go-go dancers on each side of him are prettier than me (and the wigs and pants they're wearing was probably the most clothes they wore all night). It was a total blast singing Borderline, Vogue, and Like a Virgin along with a lead singer who didn't even try to sound like a woman. Hilarity.

After the awesomeness that is Mandonna, we partook in what was the best burrito of my life (and was voted so by the San Francisco Chronicle, I think). By this time it was 2 am (4 am my time) and we hit the sack. The quintessential San Francisco evening.

Saturday, July 29

Leah, Amy and I woke up and watched Failure to Launch. Thank goodness for Matthew McConaughey's hotness because that was the only thing worth watching. Then we headed over to the Haight to have lunch at Cha Cha Cha, this GREAT Caribbean food place with fantastic sangria (and I don't even like sangria). I think it has become my new favorite eatery in San Fran (sorry Nirvana). Afterwards we shopped on the Haight for a bit, I bought a new pair of Reefs, then we went home and took a nap. That evening we ordered killer Indian food and watched Match Point and When A Stranger Calls (horrible movie). Unfortunately, I went to bed around 12:30 am and had to wake up at 4:30 am to catch my flight. Sadness. The trip home was pretty quick, all of my flights were on time, and it was hot as hell when I arrived back in Houston (not surprising, seeing as I enjoyed a cool 60-65 degrees all week in San Fran).

Finally, a note or two about aunthood

Let me try to explain just how much I love this baby:

I knew that I would fall in love with her, but I didn't know this much. I cried my eyes out the night before I left because I didn't want to miss one moment of her life. When I hold this baby and she's looking up at me, the only thing on my mind is how much I love her. I don't think about pain, or worries, or frustrations. How can you think about anything bad when you look at a face like this:

Bottom line: she really is the new love of my life. She is perfect and I miss her every second of the day. Cheers to you, Aria, for making me so happy.

Back to life, back to reality, Part II

2006-07-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 25--YARRR!
This was perhaps the most wonderful outdoorsy experience I've had in San Francisco. Yes, Muir Woods is ridiculously awesome, and yes, walking along the beach is pretty awesome as well, but you can't beat this day. Amy and I woke up and drove across the Golden Gate to Tiburon, which is the cutest little village ever (I say village, but it's actually where all the millionaires live). It's full of tiny shops and restaurants...one of those places where you can really lose track of time and just enjoy yourself. We popped into several stores, and even scored a wine tasting (nothing better than drinking a flight of wines by noon). Then we caught a ferry to Angel Island to go hiking. We took the 5-mile perimeter road around the island and got some pretty fantastic pictures of the city, the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, and the bay:

After that we were incredibly hungry, so when we got back to Tiburon we had a really great BLT with curly fries. Next comes the really great stroke of luck--my sisters have a friend who regularly goes sailing, so he took us out on his boat in San Francisco Bay. Yes folks, I have finally earned the right to say yar and jib on a regular basis. We sailed right past San Quentin prison, which is where Scott Peterson now resides (scariest thing ever...even a few miles was too close for me). I don't have any pictures of the sailing trip, unfortunately, but I've been promised a return trip when I go back to San Fran. Huzzah!

Wednesday, July 26--Laid back (with my mind on my money...)
Not much to report on this day. It turned cold and foggy, so Amy and I made a quick trip in the morning to Trader Joe's (one of those earthy-crunchy type places...they don't even sell Oreos!). Then that afternoon we went to see The Devil Wears Prada and sipped on a cherry coke...I only drink cherry coke with her. TDWP was okay, I guess, but as per usual, the book was better. The costumes, however, were FABULOUS. Oh Chanel, Oh Jimmy Choo, let me count the ways I love thee...

Thursday, July 27--SHOPPING!
So I can't visit San Francisco without doing three things: driving across the Golden Gate, getting a pedicure, and shopping in Union Square. Mims (Amy) and I grabbed a couple of cheese rolls from our favorite local bakery, Arizmendi, hopped on the Muni, and went downtown. First stop: The 3-story Levi's, where I purchased a white top and a pink cami. Then we went to H&M, my new favorite store, where I bought 2 jackets and 2 necklaces all for $50. Then we walked to Zara, where I tried on the cutest dress ever but couldn't justify spending $120 on it (but I just found out there's one in the Galleria...this could be trouble). Then we pumped ourselves up for Macy's. Ok kids, this store is not for the faint at heart. It is absolutely GARGANTUAN. First we browsed the shoes (love'em), then the jeans, and then we had to force ourselves to leave since we couldn't afford anything. After that, we tracked down the other H&M location a couple of blocks away, shopped our hearts out at the always-cheap Old Navy (where I bought another cami), and popped into Anthropologie. By this point (4 hours into the venture), we were pretty pooped. What do you do when you are pooped? You stop by the local sketchy champagne bar, that's what you do. We enjoyed cheap champagne and pretzels, then headed home (how classy are we?)

That evening Amy and I cooked spaghetti and meatballs while babysitting so my sister and her husband could go out (she was excited she got to wear heels). What a great day.

This concludes Part II of Back to Life, Back to Reality. Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode...

Back to life, back to reality

2006-07-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

As expected, San Francisco was a blast. My oldest sister, Leah, has lived there for 10 years now, and my middle sister, Amy, has lived there for 2. Therefore, I've visited many a time, so many that I've lost count...going there now isn't so much a vacation as it is going to my second home. And of course, this trip was extra special since I got to meet my niece Aria.

I suppose I'll organize this entry as usual, chronologically. Here we go:

Saturday, July 22--Shoe-shopping
4:45 am: Wake up, groan, get dressed, get in car, drive to airport.

6:00am: Arrive at airport, realize I was in the wrong terminal, take the tram to Terminal B.

7:00 am: While boarding the plane, I see a 5-year-old girl with long blond hair and blue eyes sitting in first class. Here's the kicker: she's sipping a Starbucks drink, wearing leopard print pants, and doing her nails. What is the world coming to??

9:45am: Arrive in San Francisco and rejoice!

Rest o' the day: hang out with my family, eat fresh mango, and go shoe shopping. I can't go to San Fran without shoe shopping. Oh yeah, and I meet the niece. More about her later.

Sunday, July 23--Wine Country
My mom, Amy, Amy's friend Jodie, and I drive an hour north to Russian River Valley. Amy considered taking us to Napa or Sonoma to see the larger, more well-known wineries (like Coppola), but she insisted we frequent a few of her favorite places.

First up, Roshambo. This winery was really cool, very modern, and prided itself on not giving off the high-brow, wine-snob air. We tasted about 6 different wines, and I quickly decided I don't 'do' red wines. At least, not without food. I guess my palate isn't sophisticated enough yet or something. A pic:

Next, Hop Kiln. This winery was more of your typical, country-style place, and it ended up being my favorite of the day. We tasted 5 wines, and I discovered my new favorite, Thousand Flowers. Along with the wine, we also taste-tested mustards and jams. Dude, jalapeno mustard is ridiculously good. We ended up eating lunch here--a nice mix of summer sausage, potato bread, goat cheese, white cheddar cheese, and prosciutto (and wine of course). A few pics:

Next, Moshin. We weren't terribly impressed with the wines here, and the view wasn't great. Let's move on...after you see a picture of our pretty wines:

Last, Korbel. Oh. my. gosh. I love champagne!!!! I tried 5 different champagnes and bought two bottles of Brut Rose (one for my friend Kate as a congrats on her engagement, and one for my best friend Karley as a congrats on her very recent engagement...another one bites the dust!). A pic:

All in all, a fine Californian day. Unfortunately, the thermometer was pushing 100 degrees in Russian River Valley, so we were definitely happy when we got back to San Fran (where it was a measly 80 degrees..hot for this time of year). I learned that not all wines taste the same, and now I understand how people can get terribly addicted to being a wine connoisseur.

Monday, July 24--Beach Chalet
Amy and I wake up early to take my mom to the airport, then we went back to Leah's and took a nap, family-style:

(that's Leah, Amy, Aria in between them, and Chloe at the foot of the bed)

After that, Amy and I grabbed brunch, got pedicures, and stopped by the market to pick up fresh fruit. Later that day, we went to Beach Chalet for beer and calamari. We tried a flight of beers that came in tiny little mugs....we looked like giants!

Now I'm not the biggest beer-drinker ever, but I discovered wheat beer, which is pretty darn tasty. We had good sister-time, drinking our beer and watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. It doesn't get much better than that, folks.

So that's all for now. As promised, this will be a 3-parter, so next entry (coming tomorrow) will feature Tuesday-Thursday's events. To be continued...