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.
Monday, October 24, 2005
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)