well, this is going to be the last update for a while. i'm going home to duluth tomorrow and my parents home on wilderness trail road doesn't have internet or cell phone service. there's a lot of trees, and the stars are friggen amazing up there, but just a simple phone line to communicate with the outside world. hence, i won't be in touch with most of my friends for a week or so. :-( sad...
couple things to talk about. first of all, i was talking to my friend katelyn tonight (she was a dancer at dorney and she's pretty awesome) and i was telling her about the northern lights and she said she had never heard of them. it reminded me that there's a lot of people that have either never heard of them or seen them live. if you're one of those people, you gotta check out this link to a photo gallery of the northern lights over lake superior. here's the link http://northernimages.com/webgallery/list.php?exhibition=39. Even if you have seen them before and know what they're all about, you should check it out because there's some amazing pictures in there. i'm hoping to see some when i go home this week.
went christmas shopping today. my whole family is getting sweaters. i asked them what they wanted, and they were way stubborn, so i decided i'm going make a statement and give them all sweaters. i bought them today, and don't get me wrong, they're not ugly christmas sweaters, they're actually nice and somewhat expensive, but the fact that they're each getting the same thing should get the message across. if you're going to be stubborn about telling me what you want, you're going to get a sweater. it'll probably backfire and they'll think they're the greatest gifts ever.
got a call from my ex-girlfriend, jennifer, tonight. boy was i surprised to hear her voice. i usually talk to her about once a year or so, which is somewhat unfortunate, but i'm probably better off that way. she was out with all of our friends that we used to hang out with in high school and i'm sure they asked her to call me. they passed the phone around and i got to talk to about 6 different friends that i hadn't seen or talked to in forever. it was really nice, especially since i'm in eau claire all by myself today, and somewhat on the lonely side. about half an hour later colin's dad called me to tell me that colin had just pulled an 'evan.' i laughed pretty hard. you know your friends are cool when their parents are calling you to tell you about stupid stuff their son or daughter has done. i guess they also called to say merry christmas too, but mostly to tell me about colin.
well, i guess that's it. i've got some stuff to do before i leave tomorrow. dishes, laundry, takin' out the garbage, all on the fun list of things to do. i hope you all have a wonderful break and that santa is good to you all.
thanks for stopping by san diego,
james
Friday, December 23, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
what are you doing new years eve
so i stumbled across something pretty sweet that i need to share with you. if you like music at all, you should definitely check out this video with diana krall singing 'what are you doing new years eve' accompanied by the clayton/hamiton jazz orchestra. great singing, absolutely beautiful orchestration. here's the link: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/player.aspx?fid=1365&ftyp=3&pgid=6&hid=2701&pl=72&fp=wmp. enjoy!
so here's my plan for the break...
time off mixed in with some gigs and a trip to new york. doesn't get much better than that as far as breaks are concerned. hopefully some of you will be around for some lunch dates and some much needed hanging out time. don't ever hesitate to call because i won't hesitate to call you back.
merry new years, happy christmas, shalom, peace, and everything else,
james
so here's my plan for the break...
- dec. 24 playing a gig in hastings, mn then home for christmas
- dec. 31 playing a gig in menomonie, wi then to eau claire for new years
- jan. 1-9 hanging in eau claire, practicing, working on my cabaret set
- jan. 10-15 in new york city for the iaje convention
- jan. 15-whenver, cabaret rehearsals and performances
time off mixed in with some gigs and a trip to new york. doesn't get much better than that as far as breaks are concerned. hopefully some of you will be around for some lunch dates and some much needed hanging out time. don't ever hesitate to call because i won't hesitate to call you back.
merry new years, happy christmas, shalom, peace, and everything else,
james
Monday, December 19, 2005
answering some questions
well, it seems to be that time when the people who don't know me very well start asking me lots of questions about myself and my future. so, i'm going to answer some of them here. before you read on, i must admit, some of these questions have annoyed me, but most have not. i'm not trying to lash out, just trying to write some thoughts down. it's more for me than anyone else i suppose.
1) what are you going to do now that you've graduated?
answer: the same stuff i've been doing since i got here. practicing, taking lessons, hopefully getting better, trying to get a job playing trombone. i'll still be living in eau claire, i'll still go to the joynt, and i'll still be the same person.
2) when are your grad school auditions?
answer: february and march. i've applied to eastman, manhattan, and indiana. still contemplating either northwestern or depaul. i won't know a thing about acceptance until late april.
3) are you going to get a job?
answer: possibly. if i do, i'm going to try to hold out till after auditions are over. i have some gigs and i'm returning as a web designer and have a few projects lined up including a site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School band and a site for Maestro Nobu Yasuda. i'm in the process of building an online portfolio at www.jamesyardley.com, but it won't be finished for another month or so.
4) why are you still single?
answer: this one annoys me a little, but, since it's usually asked by people that don't know me too well (like my parents or friends from high school) i tend to let it roll off my back. the answer is that i haven't found a girl that i'm in love with and that loves me back. i think it's a good idea to stay single until i do. i also don't tend to invest a lot of time towards such a goal. i think it'd be great and rewarding to be in that kind of relationship, but right now, i don't have the time to look for that. i don't want to force anything, so i don't spend my time pursuing a serious relationship. i'm happy enough with my friends and confident enough in myself to live without it for the time being. and if you don't believe any of that, then i'll give you answer b; i'm intimdating. don't buy that one either? fine, answer c; my trombone is my girlfriend.
well, when i first started writing this i had intended on addressing a few more questions, but after answering those ones, i've realized that i just shouldn't worry about those people that think i'm not doing the right thing with my life. if you're reading this, you're probably one of those that knows me well and doesn't really question my life path. i guess those are good questions to think about sometimes, they're just hard to swallow coming from someone else.
on a happy note. i really felt like i nailed my jury today. i'm pretty sure i heard Bach clapping for me when i got done playing the sarabande from cello suite no. 5. either that or it was the sigh of relief coming from dr. o signifying 'finally, james doesn't sound like crap on that piece.'
that's pretty much it. until next time, keep your stick on the ice,
james
1) what are you going to do now that you've graduated?
answer: the same stuff i've been doing since i got here. practicing, taking lessons, hopefully getting better, trying to get a job playing trombone. i'll still be living in eau claire, i'll still go to the joynt, and i'll still be the same person.
2) when are your grad school auditions?
answer: february and march. i've applied to eastman, manhattan, and indiana. still contemplating either northwestern or depaul. i won't know a thing about acceptance until late april.
3) are you going to get a job?
answer: possibly. if i do, i'm going to try to hold out till after auditions are over. i have some gigs and i'm returning as a web designer and have a few projects lined up including a site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School band and a site for Maestro Nobu Yasuda. i'm in the process of building an online portfolio at www.jamesyardley.com, but it won't be finished for another month or so.
4) why are you still single?
answer: this one annoys me a little, but, since it's usually asked by people that don't know me too well (like my parents or friends from high school) i tend to let it roll off my back. the answer is that i haven't found a girl that i'm in love with and that loves me back. i think it's a good idea to stay single until i do. i also don't tend to invest a lot of time towards such a goal. i think it'd be great and rewarding to be in that kind of relationship, but right now, i don't have the time to look for that. i don't want to force anything, so i don't spend my time pursuing a serious relationship. i'm happy enough with my friends and confident enough in myself to live without it for the time being. and if you don't believe any of that, then i'll give you answer b; i'm intimdating. don't buy that one either? fine, answer c; my trombone is my girlfriend.
well, when i first started writing this i had intended on addressing a few more questions, but after answering those ones, i've realized that i just shouldn't worry about those people that think i'm not doing the right thing with my life. if you're reading this, you're probably one of those that knows me well and doesn't really question my life path. i guess those are good questions to think about sometimes, they're just hard to swallow coming from someone else.
on a happy note. i really felt like i nailed my jury today. i'm pretty sure i heard Bach clapping for me when i got done playing the sarabande from cello suite no. 5. either that or it was the sigh of relief coming from dr. o signifying 'finally, james doesn't sound like crap on that piece.'
that's pretty much it. until next time, keep your stick on the ice,
james
Saturday, December 17, 2005
the graduator
welp, i'm gonna take a page from the book of dr. phillip ostrander and start with some positive comments about graduation. lets see, well, i got to sit next to two cool people, kara sorenson and sacia jerome, instead of next to people i didn't know. nicole's speech was excellent. and the last positive comment i have about graduation is that it is now over.
now how about a couple um...other...thoughts about the ceremony. orchestra sounded fine, but i certainly didn't expect the "hiccup" in the national anthem. it's okay, because i love nobu and the rest of the orchestra and it paled in comparison to the speech given by that grant writing lady. hmm...what can i say without being too harsh...how about..that was about the worst speech i've ever heard in my life. i can't remember the last time i wanted to punch myself repeatedly in the face just to dull the pain of having to listen to someone speak. i'm sure she's a very nice person, and i certainly don't have any hate towards her, but good lord. i would rather hear a speech given by a 12 year old about the finer points of bubble tape bubble gum.
oh well. i graduated, it's over, and time for me to move along. even though i'm not leaving immediately, which is what usually happens when normal people graduate, it's gotten me to think about what i'm going to do without all these amazing people i've spent the last 5+ years with. too many to name here, but you know who you all are. in a perfect world, i would keep in close contact with you all and maybe even be fortunate enough to live in the same areas as some of you too. i guess i shouldn't be saying my goodbyes yet though, because i'm still going to be in eau claire for a few more months. i hope to enjoy them to their fullest.
well, it's time to look over those loan papers and take note of how much money i have in my bank account. i think i need to write that stuff down so that when i'm rich and famous i can start my autobiography with "when i graduated from college, i had x amount of dollars in my bank account and x amount of dollars to pay back to the federal government that funded my education." maybe i'll just flee to mexico instead....i hear they have awesome tacos down there.
that's all for now.
james 'the graduator' yardley
now how about a couple um...other...thoughts about the ceremony. orchestra sounded fine, but i certainly didn't expect the "hiccup" in the national anthem. it's okay, because i love nobu and the rest of the orchestra and it paled in comparison to the speech given by that grant writing lady. hmm...what can i say without being too harsh...how about..that was about the worst speech i've ever heard in my life. i can't remember the last time i wanted to punch myself repeatedly in the face just to dull the pain of having to listen to someone speak. i'm sure she's a very nice person, and i certainly don't have any hate towards her, but good lord. i would rather hear a speech given by a 12 year old about the finer points of bubble tape bubble gum.
oh well. i graduated, it's over, and time for me to move along. even though i'm not leaving immediately, which is what usually happens when normal people graduate, it's gotten me to think about what i'm going to do without all these amazing people i've spent the last 5+ years with. too many to name here, but you know who you all are. in a perfect world, i would keep in close contact with you all and maybe even be fortunate enough to live in the same areas as some of you too. i guess i shouldn't be saying my goodbyes yet though, because i'm still going to be in eau claire for a few more months. i hope to enjoy them to their fullest.
well, it's time to look over those loan papers and take note of how much money i have in my bank account. i think i need to write that stuff down so that when i'm rich and famous i can start my autobiography with "when i graduated from college, i had x amount of dollars in my bank account and x amount of dollars to pay back to the federal government that funded my education." maybe i'll just flee to mexico instead....i hear they have awesome tacos down there.
that's all for now.
james 'the graduator' yardley
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
holy monkeys it's an update!
ok, this one's for you andrizzle.
haven't updated in a long time, but it's for good reason...sort of.
i've been too friggen busy. so here's the brief summary,
nov. 21-24 trip to NYC
nov. 24-26 back to school to finish work i missed while in NYC
nov. 28&29 worst jazz 1 tour ever
nov. 29-dec. 1 being very sick, jazz 1 concert on dec. 1
dec. 2-dec. 14, working madly on service learning, web design, and alexander technique class projects, while trying to improve my health, while trying to get my chops back from the time i took off while i was sick.
ok, so we're totally up to date now. graduation happens on saturday. i'm happy to graduate, but damn i'm gonna miss this place. don't worry kids, i'll be around all next semester.
current and future projects;
www.jamesyardley.com - this is going to be my online portfolio of the web design work i have done and will be doing. should be fun. check out www.jamesyardley.com/FancyPants to see my latest project. web design projects on the horizon include a web site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School Band and possibly a web site for Maestro Nobuyoshi Yasuda.
working on my ricky martin set for cabaret. it's fun but i know i'm going to struggle with guitar, piano, and drum parts. the horn lines are great and i have tons of different ideas on how i'm going to work some subtle unison instrumentation with the vocals.
playing a new years gig at the mabel tainter theatre in menomonie. it'll be my first new years in eau claire, and i can't wait to spend it with my college friends.
off to nyc again jan. 9-15 for the iaje convention. been keeping in touch with george flynn and certain i'll see him when i get out there. can't wait.
grad school auditions are on the horizon. manhattan, eastman, indiana, and possibly northwestern. holy money/time/travel/practicing. gotta keep tellin' myself it's going to be worth it once it's all over with.
well, i think that's about it. cheers!
james
haven't updated in a long time, but it's for good reason...sort of.
i've been too friggen busy. so here's the brief summary,
nov. 21-24 trip to NYC
nov. 24-26 back to school to finish work i missed while in NYC
nov. 28&29 worst jazz 1 tour ever
nov. 29-dec. 1 being very sick, jazz 1 concert on dec. 1
dec. 2-dec. 14, working madly on service learning, web design, and alexander technique class projects, while trying to improve my health, while trying to get my chops back from the time i took off while i was sick.
ok, so we're totally up to date now. graduation happens on saturday. i'm happy to graduate, but damn i'm gonna miss this place. don't worry kids, i'll be around all next semester.
current and future projects;
www.jamesyardley.com - this is going to be my online portfolio of the web design work i have done and will be doing. should be fun. check out www.jamesyardley.com/FancyPants to see my latest project. web design projects on the horizon include a web site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School Band and possibly a web site for Maestro Nobuyoshi Yasuda.
working on my ricky martin set for cabaret. it's fun but i know i'm going to struggle with guitar, piano, and drum parts. the horn lines are great and i have tons of different ideas on how i'm going to work some subtle unison instrumentation with the vocals.
playing a new years gig at the mabel tainter theatre in menomonie. it'll be my first new years in eau claire, and i can't wait to spend it with my college friends.
off to nyc again jan. 9-15 for the iaje convention. been keeping in touch with george flynn and certain i'll see him when i get out there. can't wait.
grad school auditions are on the horizon. manhattan, eastman, indiana, and possibly northwestern. holy money/time/travel/practicing. gotta keep tellin' myself it's going to be worth it once it's all over with.
well, i think that's about it. cheers!
james
Thursday, November 17, 2005
life is good
just got back from the joynt. won the first game of darts, nearly won the second game (nice job mcginnis!). left by 1:10, which is an accomplishment as my habit is to stay till close. now i should be able to get up early and play trombone at 8am. dropped colin off at home and as i drove away he ran beside my car waving. i laughed.
it's snowing. i'm happy and the ground is white.
my dad came down yesterday and we had dinner. he brought me some mail from home. i got my new check card and i have now been upgraded to a 'wells fargo gold check card.' ahh, the perks of being me. basically it's gold colored and it makes me feel important.
bone dinner is tomorrow night. one cajun fried turkey comin' up!
monday i leave for new york. i can't wait. it's going to be such a great trip. edlund called me last night just to say "hello and i'm glad to hear you're coming." such calls really brighten my day. taking lessons out there is going to be awesome. in addition to that trip i get to go home to duluth for thanksgiving, which i didn't think i was going to be able to do. i'm really looking forward to being with my family, as i have not been home since the summer.
life is good. i'm thankful. g'nite.
james
it's snowing. i'm happy and the ground is white.
my dad came down yesterday and we had dinner. he brought me some mail from home. i got my new check card and i have now been upgraded to a 'wells fargo gold check card.' ahh, the perks of being me. basically it's gold colored and it makes me feel important.
bone dinner is tomorrow night. one cajun fried turkey comin' up!
monday i leave for new york. i can't wait. it's going to be such a great trip. edlund called me last night just to say "hello and i'm glad to hear you're coming." such calls really brighten my day. taking lessons out there is going to be awesome. in addition to that trip i get to go home to duluth for thanksgiving, which i didn't think i was going to be able to do. i'm really looking forward to being with my family, as i have not been home since the summer.
life is good. i'm thankful. g'nite.
james
Sunday, November 13, 2005
stuff to read
well, some people write in their blogs everyday. i'm not one of em. i'm a little more sporadic. haven't really figured out what motivates me to write here, but it doesn't matter that much i guess.
anyways. raise your hand if you've ever heard a polka version of "oops i did it again," "toxic," or "eye of the tiger." well, i did this last weekend, and let me tell you, i haven't laughed that hard in a looooong time. i don't remember the name of the band, but while riding to hertel's wedding with joel this last weekend, i had the pleasure to hear such a thing. leave it to joel...
hertel's wedding was fun. i played decently enough on my tenor to not embarass myself in front of all my fellow music majors. i used to think the tenor playing was getting better (and it has...) but it is kind of up and down for me recently. actually, my playing on the whole is up and down. can't figure it out, but it seems as though i've lost a lot of consistency and range in my playing this last week. but, no one wants to hear about that, so on to something eles.
i went to the university orchestra concert today and enjoyed it very much. the strings are getting better every year, and that is so awesome to see. if we had a bigger french horn studio, i think that orchestra could really start to do some big things. the trombone players seemed less than enthustiastic about they're playing on the concert, but i felt like they did fine. i understand that it's hard to accept a performance that is less rewarding than past performances, but the good news is that the general audience loved it, and that's probably the most important thing...reaching an audience with your music. so, no matter how crappy you guys felt about your playing, just remember, you reached a lot of people and that and that deserves a congratulations.
so this week should be a good one. i'm going to buy a turkey tomorrow for friday's dreaded bone dinner so that is is thawed by the time i fry it. yeah, that's right, i'm frying a turkey on friday for the third year in a row. i've got a kitchen now, so i will be cooking and eating healthier food all week, which should lift my spirits quite a lot. i got into the gym tonight and worked out for a little while and will spend this week getting back into that whole routine. practice time will be a priority as i prepare for my trip to nyc the following week. for those who don't know, i'm flying out there to take a few lessons with one of the world's greatest bass trombonists, george flynn. in addition to taking lessons, i get to hear maria schneider's band play all that week. it's going to be great and i'm sure i will have lots of stuff to write here after that trip.
ok, i think i've written enough. someday i'm going to figure out how to organize these thoughts a little better. like when writing a music history paper....
g'nite kids.
anyways. raise your hand if you've ever heard a polka version of "oops i did it again," "toxic," or "eye of the tiger." well, i did this last weekend, and let me tell you, i haven't laughed that hard in a looooong time. i don't remember the name of the band, but while riding to hertel's wedding with joel this last weekend, i had the pleasure to hear such a thing. leave it to joel...
hertel's wedding was fun. i played decently enough on my tenor to not embarass myself in front of all my fellow music majors. i used to think the tenor playing was getting better (and it has...) but it is kind of up and down for me recently. actually, my playing on the whole is up and down. can't figure it out, but it seems as though i've lost a lot of consistency and range in my playing this last week. but, no one wants to hear about that, so on to something eles.
i went to the university orchestra concert today and enjoyed it very much. the strings are getting better every year, and that is so awesome to see. if we had a bigger french horn studio, i think that orchestra could really start to do some big things. the trombone players seemed less than enthustiastic about they're playing on the concert, but i felt like they did fine. i understand that it's hard to accept a performance that is less rewarding than past performances, but the good news is that the general audience loved it, and that's probably the most important thing...reaching an audience with your music. so, no matter how crappy you guys felt about your playing, just remember, you reached a lot of people and that and that deserves a congratulations.
so this week should be a good one. i'm going to buy a turkey tomorrow for friday's dreaded bone dinner so that is is thawed by the time i fry it. yeah, that's right, i'm frying a turkey on friday for the third year in a row. i've got a kitchen now, so i will be cooking and eating healthier food all week, which should lift my spirits quite a lot. i got into the gym tonight and worked out for a little while and will spend this week getting back into that whole routine. practice time will be a priority as i prepare for my trip to nyc the following week. for those who don't know, i'm flying out there to take a few lessons with one of the world's greatest bass trombonists, george flynn. in addition to taking lessons, i get to hear maria schneider's band play all that week. it's going to be great and i'm sure i will have lots of stuff to write here after that trip.
ok, i think i've written enough. someday i'm going to figure out how to organize these thoughts a little better. like when writing a music history paper....
g'nite kids.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
rebounding
well, life seems to be on the rebound...
my trip to michigan was so-so at best. the gigs were moderately rewarding and the traveling really sucked. to sum up the traveling, we left late wednesday night, arrived in byron center (near grand rapids, mi) at about 6am thursday morning. then we began our trip home late sunday night, and arrived in eau claire at about 6am. on the way home, evan managed to give us a tour of east lansing before i got us directions to I-496, and talked to a drug dealer, somewhere in western michigan, just before entering indiana. evan, you're amazing.
anyways, life is slowly improving.
becker, colin, randall, and i "decorated" dr. ostrander's house last night (halloween) while he was gone playing a gig with the MN Opera. ornaments included chalking the driveway with the Ride of the Valkyries in B-flat alto clef, which modulated to A-flat treble clef, which then turned into a jazz lick followed by chord changes only colin and randall could thing of. sharp 1, that's brilliant. other ornaments included hanging a trombone, with a knot that was supposed to resemble a noose, from his basketball hoop. oh yeah, and steve turre called...he needs him to play piano. blaming the freshman by signing their names was a nice touch as well.
i played my tune (cantaloupe island) last night at the stones throw and felt about the best i ever have about my improvising. sad as that may be...because i still have a long ways to go with that. but i'm starting to leave the realm of suck and enter the realm of it-could-be-worse.
i saw branden's sister, katie, there too. that lifted my spirits quite a bit. if she's able to go out, i can't feel too awful myself. it's still hard to cope with though, but time is doing it's thing.
i got two new wycliffe gordon cds in the mail yesterday and i can't stop listening to them. they're sooo good and inspiring me even more to practice my improvising everyday.
chip valley rehearsal didn't totally suck today. the tenor is really starting to feel comfortable and i'm actually enjoying the principal chair. high c's aren't so bad afterall. i still have a lot of improving to do, but i'm getting better every time, which is extremely encouraging.
i think if i could get back up to the gym on a regular basis i would be even happier. i just haven't felt like going lately, and it's bugging me, but i just can't find the motivation to get up there. i think it's the reality of how sore i will be from starting up again that is one hinderance for me. i've started running a little, which feels really good. but, i really do want to get back to the lifting.
i guess that's about it. i love my friends and i'm still thankful for the time i get to spend with them.
g'nite fools.
my trip to michigan was so-so at best. the gigs were moderately rewarding and the traveling really sucked. to sum up the traveling, we left late wednesday night, arrived in byron center (near grand rapids, mi) at about 6am thursday morning. then we began our trip home late sunday night, and arrived in eau claire at about 6am. on the way home, evan managed to give us a tour of east lansing before i got us directions to I-496, and talked to a drug dealer, somewhere in western michigan, just before entering indiana. evan, you're amazing.
anyways, life is slowly improving.
becker, colin, randall, and i "decorated" dr. ostrander's house last night (halloween) while he was gone playing a gig with the MN Opera. ornaments included chalking the driveway with the Ride of the Valkyries in B-flat alto clef, which modulated to A-flat treble clef, which then turned into a jazz lick followed by chord changes only colin and randall could thing of. sharp 1, that's brilliant. other ornaments included hanging a trombone, with a knot that was supposed to resemble a noose, from his basketball hoop. oh yeah, and steve turre called...he needs him to play piano. blaming the freshman by signing their names was a nice touch as well.
i played my tune (cantaloupe island) last night at the stones throw and felt about the best i ever have about my improvising. sad as that may be...because i still have a long ways to go with that. but i'm starting to leave the realm of suck and enter the realm of it-could-be-worse.
i saw branden's sister, katie, there too. that lifted my spirits quite a bit. if she's able to go out, i can't feel too awful myself. it's still hard to cope with though, but time is doing it's thing.
i got two new wycliffe gordon cds in the mail yesterday and i can't stop listening to them. they're sooo good and inspiring me even more to practice my improvising everyday.
chip valley rehearsal didn't totally suck today. the tenor is really starting to feel comfortable and i'm actually enjoying the principal chair. high c's aren't so bad afterall. i still have a lot of improving to do, but i'm getting better every time, which is extremely encouraging.
i think if i could get back up to the gym on a regular basis i would be even happier. i just haven't felt like going lately, and it's bugging me, but i just can't find the motivation to get up there. i think it's the reality of how sore i will be from starting up again that is one hinderance for me. i've started running a little, which feels really good. but, i really do want to get back to the lifting.
i guess that's about it. i love my friends and i'm still thankful for the time i get to spend with them.
g'nite fools.
Monday, October 24, 2005
my real friends
as most everyone knows, a lot has been happening around here lately. we all lost a friend who meant a lot to us. as a roommate of his for 3 years, i can tell you that he was an amazing person. his intentions were always pure and he was fun to be around. losing a friend like that, especially under such tragic conditions, hurts. branden and i were like the same person for a long time. we enjoyed the same kinds of things and were (are) extremely dedicated to music. he got me addicted to a computer game (team fortress) and i got him addicted to snood. we listened to classical music together (branden owned the wagner ring cycle box set) in governors hall as loud as my speakers would handle until the ra came and told us to turn it down. we would play frisbee in the hallway, again, until our ra made us stop because we kept hitting people's doors. whoops. the point is, branden and i were good friends and we shared a lot in common.
this last week has taught me that there is a major difference between friends, and acquaintances. friends are the people that are thinking about you when you're not around, and acquaintances are the ones who only think about you when you are around. i learned another thing this weekend too. friends can never be taken for granted. this is obvious stuff, i know. but, i haven't really been able to act upon it until now. i am seriously thankful for every minute i get to spend with my friends, because i know there will come a time when i never get to see them again.
branden, i miss you, and i can't wait to see you again so we can hang out together.
this last week has taught me that there is a major difference between friends, and acquaintances. friends are the people that are thinking about you when you're not around, and acquaintances are the ones who only think about you when you are around. i learned another thing this weekend too. friends can never be taken for granted. this is obvious stuff, i know. but, i haven't really been able to act upon it until now. i am seriously thankful for every minute i get to spend with my friends, because i know there will come a time when i never get to see them again.
branden, i miss you, and i can't wait to see you again so we can hang out together.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
homecoming
yay homecoming.
got up this morning, put on my traditional homecoming uniform (if you haven't seen it, well, that's too bad) and biked off to school to join a dixieland band to play in the parade. playing sousaphone is awesome.....once or twice a year. it went well and i had a lot of fun.
chili is in the crockpot, being awesome, waiting to kick ass at the cookoff tonight. the judges tongues are going to be doing the "james and becker's chili is awesome" dance for sure. that's kind of a funny image if ya think about it.
well, that's all i feel like writing. so far the soberness level for this homecoming as been very high (that means i'm staying sober). not sure why, guess i just don't feel like drinking. it's cool though because i'm still having a blast.
buh bye
got up this morning, put on my traditional homecoming uniform (if you haven't seen it, well, that's too bad) and biked off to school to join a dixieland band to play in the parade. playing sousaphone is awesome.....once or twice a year. it went well and i had a lot of fun.
chili is in the crockpot, being awesome, waiting to kick ass at the cookoff tonight. the judges tongues are going to be doing the "james and becker's chili is awesome" dance for sure. that's kind of a funny image if ya think about it.
well, that's all i feel like writing. so far the soberness level for this homecoming as been very high (that means i'm staying sober). not sure why, guess i just don't feel like drinking. it's cool though because i'm still having a blast.
buh bye
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
bass bone heaven
guess it's been a few days since i wrote on this thing last...that's ok though because i haven't had anything interesting to talk about until today.
turns out i'm flying to new york over thanksgiving to have a lesson with one of the greatest bass trombone players alive today. his name is george flynn and he plays bass trombone with maria schneider's band. i'm pretty sure he plays many broadway shows (lion king maybe?) and studio jingle type dates. basically, he's doing what i dream of...living in new york, kicking ass on the bass trombone, and making a living doing it all. so a friend of mine, whom some may know, is maria's new york assistant and he told me that i have to go out and take a lesson with this guy, so, i built up the nerve, got his e-mail address, and asked for a lesson. he responded the same day and said he'd be happy to. i have to admit, i was a little shocked at how easy it was. those guys can be seem so intimidating (and let me tell you, i know alllll about intimidation), but yet, they're just regular guys who do awesome stuff with instruments. so, i'm super pumped for that opportunity, and also very thankful. i have a LOT of things to work on before that lesson.
i also had the chance to drive to minneapolis on monday and play with my trombone quartet for another bass bone hero of mine, john rojak. he teaches at julliard, subs with the ny phil, plays in the american brass quintet, was the bass trombonist on les miserables for 16? years, etc, etc, etc. you get the idea, he's awesome. he's also an extremely nice human being. we had the great fortune of hanging out with him all day and i wish i had a second brain to store everything i learned from him that day. half of that storage would be used to remember how amazing he sounded. i really need to keep practicing my long tones, among many other things.
in the non-music related world everything is ship-shape. my house is under construction everyday, but, atleast stuff is getting done. within a week or so they might be finished. we'll see.
lots of stuff is coming up, so i'll probably be writing more frequently within the next few weeks.
why is there a street cleaner outside my house at 1am?
g'nite
turns out i'm flying to new york over thanksgiving to have a lesson with one of the greatest bass trombone players alive today. his name is george flynn and he plays bass trombone with maria schneider's band. i'm pretty sure he plays many broadway shows (lion king maybe?) and studio jingle type dates. basically, he's doing what i dream of...living in new york, kicking ass on the bass trombone, and making a living doing it all. so a friend of mine, whom some may know, is maria's new york assistant and he told me that i have to go out and take a lesson with this guy, so, i built up the nerve, got his e-mail address, and asked for a lesson. he responded the same day and said he'd be happy to. i have to admit, i was a little shocked at how easy it was. those guys can be seem so intimidating (and let me tell you, i know alllll about intimidation), but yet, they're just regular guys who do awesome stuff with instruments. so, i'm super pumped for that opportunity, and also very thankful. i have a LOT of things to work on before that lesson.
i also had the chance to drive to minneapolis on monday and play with my trombone quartet for another bass bone hero of mine, john rojak. he teaches at julliard, subs with the ny phil, plays in the american brass quintet, was the bass trombonist on les miserables for 16? years, etc, etc, etc. you get the idea, he's awesome. he's also an extremely nice human being. we had the great fortune of hanging out with him all day and i wish i had a second brain to store everything i learned from him that day. half of that storage would be used to remember how amazing he sounded. i really need to keep practicing my long tones, among many other things.
in the non-music related world everything is ship-shape. my house is under construction everyday, but, atleast stuff is getting done. within a week or so they might be finished. we'll see.
lots of stuff is coming up, so i'll probably be writing more frequently within the next few weeks.
why is there a street cleaner outside my house at 1am?
g'nite
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
i like cod....and salmon too
yep. been longer than i thought it would be since my last post. that's okay though, because i really have been keeping myself busy.
Madison trip with fellow boners (hehe):
on saturday, randall, colin, baby matt, and i drove to madison for some trombone education provided by the "nay palm" trombone quartet. despite the longer than expected travel time, it was really friggen sweet. the bass trombonist, once he got going, had the most intriguing things to say regarding auditions. i have it all written down, and will soon type it up, but i won't bore you with it all here. but i will say that i can't wait till my next big audition to put some of his ideas to use.
Things I'm looking forward to:
colin, randall, adam and i are starting a trombone quartet soon. they're all fine musicians and i can't wait to play with them. jeff dahlseng (former UWEC bass boner) sent me some really nice jazz arrangements for quartet that i am looking forward to as well. i'm also in the process of creating a practice binder with various goodies inside. yesterday, i printed out all my excerpts that i will include, along with a list of my goals and the ways in which i plan to meet them. it might sound lame, but it's time for me to get even more serious about my practicing.
Things I'm not looking forward to:
my computer has really been sucking lately and it's time to reformat. i've never had to reformat before so i have nothing backed up. and there's a lot of stuff in random places that needs to be backed up. if my computer could go one day without randomly hating me, i wouldn't go through the pain of reformatting it. but, since it continues to suck on a daily basis, i guess i'm gonna have to.
i guess that's about it. i'm not feeling to creative right now, so if you came here looking for random entertainment, sorry to let you down. i will refer you to www.homestarrunner.com for that. seriously, that site never fails to cheer me up if i'm feelin' down. time to practice.
Madison trip with fellow boners (hehe):
on saturday, randall, colin, baby matt, and i drove to madison for some trombone education provided by the "nay palm" trombone quartet. despite the longer than expected travel time, it was really friggen sweet. the bass trombonist, once he got going, had the most intriguing things to say regarding auditions. i have it all written down, and will soon type it up, but i won't bore you with it all here. but i will say that i can't wait till my next big audition to put some of his ideas to use.
Things I'm looking forward to:
colin, randall, adam and i are starting a trombone quartet soon. they're all fine musicians and i can't wait to play with them. jeff dahlseng (former UWEC bass boner) sent me some really nice jazz arrangements for quartet that i am looking forward to as well. i'm also in the process of creating a practice binder with various goodies inside. yesterday, i printed out all my excerpts that i will include, along with a list of my goals and the ways in which i plan to meet them. it might sound lame, but it's time for me to get even more serious about my practicing.
Things I'm not looking forward to:
my computer has really been sucking lately and it's time to reformat. i've never had to reformat before so i have nothing backed up. and there's a lot of stuff in random places that needs to be backed up. if my computer could go one day without randomly hating me, i wouldn't go through the pain of reformatting it. but, since it continues to suck on a daily basis, i guess i'm gonna have to.
i guess that's about it. i'm not feeling to creative right now, so if you came here looking for random entertainment, sorry to let you down. i will refer you to www.homestarrunner.com for that. seriously, that site never fails to cheer me up if i'm feelin' down. time to practice.
Monday, September 05, 2005
livin' on a prayer
well, here goes the third (yes...third) attempt to create a post today. the first two attempts were foiled by a stupid attempt to make one of my word's bold. apparently the "b" button in the upper left corner doesn't stand for "bold." yep, i'm pretty sure it stands for "button that is going to @!)(*@! piss me off." stupid technology. you see, if i was just writing in a journal all i would have to do is push a little harder with my pen to make something bold. i could even trace over my letters a few times to make it darker. but, you see, here in 2005, you have to hit the so called "bold" button so that your entire freaking post is erased. then there's the "recover post" button. oh yes, let me tell you about that button. i'd love to tell you what it does, but i don't know yet myself. i thought it might "recover" my "post" that the bold button so conveinently erased, but it didn't. i think it actually tried to insult me. screw you blogger.com. i swear, if this post gets messed up, well, actually, i'm probably going to do nothing, but i'll certainly want to do something rash.
ok, i don't care that (i want to italize the word "that" but i'm afraid of what might happen, so just pretend like it's italized.) much. i just thought it might be fun to overreact (not sure if that's one word) and rant for a little while. on to something else.
today was good. i cleaned things and unpacked stuff. had dinner with friends, and drank a few good beers.
looking forward to tomorrow. the music building is going to be open, and i'm going to practice. yay! it's time for james start kicking ass at the bass trombone so he can go to eastman.
with that, i think i'm off to bed.
love,
james
ok, i don't care that (i want to italize the word "that" but i'm afraid of what might happen, so just pretend like it's italized.) much. i just thought it might be fun to overreact (not sure if that's one word) and rant for a little while. on to something else.
today was good. i cleaned things and unpacked stuff. had dinner with friends, and drank a few good beers.
looking forward to tomorrow. the music building is going to be open, and i'm going to practice. yay! it's time for james start kicking ass at the bass trombone so he can go to eastman.
with that, i think i'm off to bed.
love,
james
Sunday, September 04, 2005
where do i begin?
welp, i guess this is the place where i write stuff. i was thinking about starting a journal, but then i remembered the beaver i saw swimming in the stream behind the bookstore today, and i thought...hmm...i wonder what that beaver would want me to do. then i decided that since it is 2005, i could maybe spare some trees and write stuff electronically. the only thing that kinda sucks is that i have to be at a computer to do this thing...so, i might keep a journal anyways. screw you beaver. there's something to be said for doing things the old fashioned way every once in a while too.
anywho...the summer was awesome. despite some colombian stalking and the daily evan episode, i still managed to have an awesome time. i met people who inspired me to do cool stuff (like rock climbing and randomly wearing glitter). the fancy twins rocked my world with their constantly smiling faces. seriously, they're good people. gorham , the trumpet player i stood next to, made me look forward to going to work everyday, even if it was 105 degrees. i knew he'd make me laugh and i knew i wouldn't be allowed to take myself too seriously around him. jeff, john, and mike inspired me with their professionalism. important lessons were learned almost daily and that's more valuable to me than the money i managed to come home with.
fun was had. i made a small fortune playing poker in atlantic city with colin and evan. matt got me into rock climbing. (climbing = sweetness) i'm gonna try to get up to the climbing wall about once a week this year to improve on this awesome skill. i need to get some gear as well. i made it up to nyc to hear slide hampton play at the vanguard. he played the music of antonio carlos jobim and it was like candy to my ears. the dorney music was good and challenging and all, but hearing slide play was just what i needed at the end of the summer. i bought his cd there and everytime i listen it it reminds of that night, which is totally worth the $20 i spent. in addition to the traveling i managed to entertain myself in allentown, which is no small task and usually involves the bar. poker nights at jim's every monday was my favorite hang by far, however.
so now the fun of summer is over and it's time to revisit reality. i'm gonna do my best to make sure that this is a year well spent. living by myself should prove to be helpful. for those who haven't seen my place yet, it's the ultimate bachelor pad. i love it. the neighbors however, well, the verdict is still out. last night i spent a good half hour unintentionally (honestly) evesdropping while they sat outside, talking about how in their day they put a man on the moon and today's generation has done nothing. i seriously laughed aloud a couple times. the guy who would randomly interrupt himself to sing along to the radio they had playing was talking as if he was head of the space program or something and deserved all this credit for being alive when armstrong set foot on the moon. and right now, they're over there yelling "yaaaaaaaay". i'm not sure what it's all about, but i think they might be playing a video game or something. which is sorta weird because it's a little after 11pm and i'm fairly certain that none of them are under 40. oh well.
well, i guess i'll stop there. tomorrow i think i'm gonna try to write about my plans for the year. i've been thinking about them a lot and it's time to put something down in writing. g'nite.
anywho...the summer was awesome. despite some colombian stalking and the daily evan episode, i still managed to have an awesome time. i met people who inspired me to do cool stuff (like rock climbing and randomly wearing glitter). the fancy twins rocked my world with their constantly smiling faces. seriously, they're good people. gorham , the trumpet player i stood next to, made me look forward to going to work everyday, even if it was 105 degrees. i knew he'd make me laugh and i knew i wouldn't be allowed to take myself too seriously around him. jeff, john, and mike inspired me with their professionalism. important lessons were learned almost daily and that's more valuable to me than the money i managed to come home with.
fun was had. i made a small fortune playing poker in atlantic city with colin and evan. matt got me into rock climbing. (climbing = sweetness) i'm gonna try to get up to the climbing wall about once a week this year to improve on this awesome skill. i need to get some gear as well. i made it up to nyc to hear slide hampton play at the vanguard. he played the music of antonio carlos jobim and it was like candy to my ears. the dorney music was good and challenging and all, but hearing slide play was just what i needed at the end of the summer. i bought his cd there and everytime i listen it it reminds of that night, which is totally worth the $20 i spent. in addition to the traveling i managed to entertain myself in allentown, which is no small task and usually involves the bar. poker nights at jim's every monday was my favorite hang by far, however.
so now the fun of summer is over and it's time to revisit reality. i'm gonna do my best to make sure that this is a year well spent. living by myself should prove to be helpful. for those who haven't seen my place yet, it's the ultimate bachelor pad. i love it. the neighbors however, well, the verdict is still out. last night i spent a good half hour unintentionally (honestly) evesdropping while they sat outside, talking about how in their day they put a man on the moon and today's generation has done nothing. i seriously laughed aloud a couple times. the guy who would randomly interrupt himself to sing along to the radio they had playing was talking as if he was head of the space program or something and deserved all this credit for being alive when armstrong set foot on the moon. and right now, they're over there yelling "yaaaaaaaay". i'm not sure what it's all about, but i think they might be playing a video game or something. which is sorta weird because it's a little after 11pm and i'm fairly certain that none of them are under 40. oh well.
well, i guess i'll stop there. tomorrow i think i'm gonna try to write about my plans for the year. i've been thinking about them a lot and it's time to put something down in writing. g'nite.
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