now that i've got my website all spiffed up, i'm moving my operation there. thanks for all the good times blogger :)
the url of the new site is http://www.jamesyardley.com
love,
james
Monday, September 01, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
20 random facts
hey yalls. i'm back on land now and it feels good. food on land is much better. i have a few more minutes to kill before i head to the gym and for no particular reason i thought it might be fun to list 20 random facts about myself in the order in which they pop into my head. here goes:
1. i am addicted to ultimate frisbee
2. i ran a half marathon when i was in 8th grade and two full marathons after high school
3. is my favorite number
4. the longest relationship i've been in lasted 4.5 years
5. i won a cross country race my sophomore year of high school
6. i've ridden a greyhound bus for over 24 hours
7. i was born in cedar rapids, ia (which is currently underwater)
8. my family has never owned any other breed of dog other than dalmatian
9. i hate saying no to people
10. i don't like chain "sit down" type restaurants (i.e. tgi fridays, chillis, applebees, etc.)
11. my favorite place to be during a storm is inside a tent
12. i got kicked out of a liquor store two days ago
13. i've never been to a strip club
14. i've never been in a fight
15. i secretly hope this type of list will turn into a trend amongst my blog friends
16. i yell "pi" when i'm at a sporting event and the clock is at 3:14
17. i have small feet (8.5)
18. when i sneeze it's usually just once instead of twice like most people
19. i'm too picky when it comes to the ladies
20. i'm conflicted when i take a shower because i love long showers but hate wasting water
i can't wait for future james to read this and realize how pathetic current james is. okay, time to pump it up.
love,
james
1. i am addicted to ultimate frisbee
2. i ran a half marathon when i was in 8th grade and two full marathons after high school
3. is my favorite number
4. the longest relationship i've been in lasted 4.5 years
5. i won a cross country race my sophomore year of high school
6. i've ridden a greyhound bus for over 24 hours
7. i was born in cedar rapids, ia (which is currently underwater)
8. my family has never owned any other breed of dog other than dalmatian
9. i hate saying no to people
10. i don't like chain "sit down" type restaurants (i.e. tgi fridays, chillis, applebees, etc.)
11. my favorite place to be during a storm is inside a tent
12. i got kicked out of a liquor store two days ago
13. i've never been to a strip club
14. i've never been in a fight
15. i secretly hope this type of list will turn into a trend amongst my blog friends
16. i yell "pi" when i'm at a sporting event and the clock is at 3:14
17. i have small feet (8.5)
18. when i sneeze it's usually just once instead of twice like most people
19. i'm too picky when it comes to the ladies
20. i'm conflicted when i take a shower because i love long showers but hate wasting water
i can't wait for future james to read this and realize how pathetic current james is. okay, time to pump it up.
love,
james
Monday, May 26, 2008
hi
dear friends,
sorry it's been a while since i've written. i'm actually not that sorry, but i figure it's the polite way to start this post. i'm currently sittin' at the 'city lights coffee shop' just off market street in charleston, sc as i write this. if you've been on facebook you may have noticed i'm out on the waters again. i joined the carnival 'victory' on may 5th and have been cruising to some pretty nice places including st. thomas, st. maarten, grand cayman, cozumel - mexico, ochos rios - jamaica, and my favorite so far, san juan - puerto rico. if you haven't seen the pictures yet, you should check them out, if not to see some cool pictures, to read the wonderful commentary below the pictures.
i've really been enjoying my time on board so far. the musical director is a nice guy and a pretty good musician (albeit not very motivated). the guys in the band have been awesome as well. the guitar player on board is from ashland, wi (not far from duluth) and as it turns out, him and i were actually at the third week of the shell lake jazz camp together during the summer of 2000. the bass player is from milwaukee too. go midwest!
the workload has been pretty great. we play about 3-4 times a week, which leaves a lot of time for me to practice, listen to music, watch movies, and sleep :-) yesterday was a relocation day, which means we traveled from miami to charleston without any passengers on board. it was basically an all day party. we ate, we drank, and we played guitar hero on the massive theatre screen up on lido deck. it was sweeeeeet. the night before i joined a poker tournament that the casino staff was having in which i essentially owned them all. i was the only non-casino person there and i guess the guy that invited me took some heat from his friends for letting me into the game. they were really terrible but when i got to heads up i just made a deal with the other player because i didn't feel like taking all their money and it was 6:45 in the morning. we'll be having another relocation day up to norfolk after this cruise, and i'm hoping it will be just as fun.
i've been trying to keep in touch with people as much as i can, although i could maybe do a better job... i got the full report on colin's trip to eau claire, which really made me wish i could have been there. i'm def gonna miss that place and all the people i met there. a big congrats goes out to all the people that graduated this year. my contract will end in less than two weeks on june 7th, then i'll be back in bloomington for two months to finish up some lessons and give a recital. after that i'll up in minnesota country for a little more than a week before leaving for another ship. hopefully i'll be able to make the rounds and visit some of you in that time. or maybe you'll roadtrip it down to bloomington and visit your favorite old trombone playing friends james and colin. you probably should.
anyways, from what i've seen so far, charleston is a really nice city so i think i'm gonna finish up here and roam around some more. if you happen to read this today, gimme a call and we'll chat. i'll be here till about 8:30 tonight and my phone is fully charged :-)
love,
james
sorry it's been a while since i've written. i'm actually not that sorry, but i figure it's the polite way to start this post. i'm currently sittin' at the 'city lights coffee shop' just off market street in charleston, sc as i write this. if you've been on facebook you may have noticed i'm out on the waters again. i joined the carnival 'victory' on may 5th and have been cruising to some pretty nice places including st. thomas, st. maarten, grand cayman, cozumel - mexico, ochos rios - jamaica, and my favorite so far, san juan - puerto rico. if you haven't seen the pictures yet, you should check them out, if not to see some cool pictures, to read the wonderful commentary below the pictures.
i've really been enjoying my time on board so far. the musical director is a nice guy and a pretty good musician (albeit not very motivated). the guys in the band have been awesome as well. the guitar player on board is from ashland, wi (not far from duluth) and as it turns out, him and i were actually at the third week of the shell lake jazz camp together during the summer of 2000. the bass player is from milwaukee too. go midwest!
the workload has been pretty great. we play about 3-4 times a week, which leaves a lot of time for me to practice, listen to music, watch movies, and sleep :-) yesterday was a relocation day, which means we traveled from miami to charleston without any passengers on board. it was basically an all day party. we ate, we drank, and we played guitar hero on the massive theatre screen up on lido deck. it was sweeeeeet. the night before i joined a poker tournament that the casino staff was having in which i essentially owned them all. i was the only non-casino person there and i guess the guy that invited me took some heat from his friends for letting me into the game. they were really terrible but when i got to heads up i just made a deal with the other player because i didn't feel like taking all their money and it was 6:45 in the morning. we'll be having another relocation day up to norfolk after this cruise, and i'm hoping it will be just as fun.
i've been trying to keep in touch with people as much as i can, although i could maybe do a better job... i got the full report on colin's trip to eau claire, which really made me wish i could have been there. i'm def gonna miss that place and all the people i met there. a big congrats goes out to all the people that graduated this year. my contract will end in less than two weeks on june 7th, then i'll be back in bloomington for two months to finish up some lessons and give a recital. after that i'll up in minnesota country for a little more than a week before leaving for another ship. hopefully i'll be able to make the rounds and visit some of you in that time. or maybe you'll roadtrip it down to bloomington and visit your favorite old trombone playing friends james and colin. you probably should.
anyways, from what i've seen so far, charleston is a really nice city so i think i'm gonna finish up here and roam around some more. if you happen to read this today, gimme a call and we'll chat. i'll be here till about 8:30 tonight and my phone is fully charged :-)
love,
james
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
i'm learning, i think...
so i'm sitting here in the apt writing my last paper ever and i feel like i've just had somewhat of an epiphany. i'm gonna write it down here real quick and come back to it later when i have some time to ponder it a little more.
so here it is:
as musicians we're taught to imitate the sounds we hear. when we first learn to do this, it is my opinion that we imitate the process and when we do so correctly we get the result (a good sound). for example, we see a trombone player take a big breath while standing up straight and we hear a nice big sound, so we stand up straight, breathe deep, and achieve a similar result. somewhere along the way, however, we become obsessed, or maybe even taught, to exactly imitate someone else's sound - spending years trying to sound just like someone else, and failing miserably because the only person we can truly be is ourselves. i wonder what would happen if we were to imitate the process in which someone "arrived" at their sound rather than trying to copy the sound itself. would we arrive at a sound that is beautiful, yet unique to us?
ok, back to paper writing.
love,
james
so here it is:
as musicians we're taught to imitate the sounds we hear. when we first learn to do this, it is my opinion that we imitate the process and when we do so correctly we get the result (a good sound). for example, we see a trombone player take a big breath while standing up straight and we hear a nice big sound, so we stand up straight, breathe deep, and achieve a similar result. somewhere along the way, however, we become obsessed, or maybe even taught, to exactly imitate someone else's sound - spending years trying to sound just like someone else, and failing miserably because the only person we can truly be is ourselves. i wonder what would happen if we were to imitate the process in which someone "arrived" at their sound rather than trying to copy the sound itself. would we arrive at a sound that is beautiful, yet unique to us?
ok, back to paper writing.
love,
james
Sunday, March 30, 2008
worth waking up for
is it odd that i'm 26 years old and will consider any day that i play ultimate frisbee a complete success? should i quit trombone and pursue a career in ultimate? i mean, the money making opportunities gotta be pretty similar right?
i woke up this morning nice and late (about 10a) to the glorious sound of rain and thunder, read some news, listened to some music, then threw my cleats in my backpack and headed out the door to play ultimate. it was still raining and about 40 degrees when i got to the field and there were 4 guys tossing a disc around, waiting for a few others to show up. once we had 6, we set up a field and played 3-on-3 for about an hour and a half. there were puddles everywhere on the field, which only made me smile more, bc i knew i was gonna get totally caked in mud on my very first layout.
one thing that's great about playing on a cool rainy day is the shower afterwards. it feels soooooooooo good. by the looks of the drain, i think i brought about half the field home with me...
anyways, the moral of the story is that ultimate makes me happy. the end.
love,
james
Sunday, March 23, 2008
omg
i just got back from the orchestra concert and all i can say is 'wow.' michel camilo played a concerto he wrote and it totally blew me away (oh yeah, and leanord slatkin conducted)
i haven't been to a concert in a while that has inspired me that much. if you ever have a chance to hear this man play, do whatever it takes to get to that concert. he's absolutely incredible. if you have an album of his and haven't listened to it in a while, dust it off and put it in the cd player.
i hereby declare today 'michel-camilo-kicks-major-ass day'
laters,
james
i haven't been to a concert in a while that has inspired me that much. if you ever have a chance to hear this man play, do whatever it takes to get to that concert. he's absolutely incredible. if you have an album of his and haven't listened to it in a while, dust it off and put it in the cd player.
i hereby declare today 'michel-camilo-kicks-major-ass day'
laters,
james
Sunday, March 16, 2008
2nd post?
it's not often that i post two times in one day, but i came across a video today that i couldn't pass up the opportunity to share. it's so f'n funny. enjoy.
back in the town of b
been back for a few days but just haven't felt like posting much. i just got back from some really good ultimate and am feeling amazingly refreshed with life in general right now. it's the kind of refreshed that i think i just wanna keep to myself instead of trying to explain it all, so i'm just gonna copy on hayley and post a funny little survey thinger. not sure i've ever done one of these, so i'll consider this a debut.
whats your name spelt backwards?
yeldray retlaw Semaj
What did you do last night?
practiced, played some poker, then drank with my friend trevor
The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
an ultimate frisbee video
Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?
yup. it was delicious.
Last time you swam in a pool?
i wouldn't call it swimming...but last summer.
What are you wearing?
a thong
How many cars have you owned?
just one, and she's still goin' strong
Type of music you dislike most?
the cheesy stuff you hear as background music in grocery stores
Are you registered to vote?
i think so...better look into that
Do you have cable?
nope
What kind of computer do you use?
the best kind (macbook pro)
Ever made a prank phone call?
is your refrigerator running?
You like anyone right now?
jenna fischer, although, she won't return my calls at the moment
Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
sky diving and hopefully sometime soon (this summer anyone?)
Furthest place you ever traveled?
london
What's your favorite comic strip?
i used to love garfield.
Do u know all the words to the national anthem?
you betcha
Shower, morning or night?
i'm not usually awake until i take a shower, so mornings
Best movie you've seen in the past month?
semi-pro. will ferrell = funniest man ever
Favorite pizza toppings?
pepperoni, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Chips or popcorn?
triscuits foo.
Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
what the f?
Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
no, i'm too pretty so they won't let me.
Orange Juice or apple?
i drink a lot of oj, but i really like apple too. so both i guess...
Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?
my parents
favorite chocolate bar?
chocolate was made to be consumed in thin candy shells. f bars.
Who is your longest friend and how long?
gonna have to go with my buddy matt, from home. since 6th grade so like 15 years?
Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
hmm...have i ever? i must be missing out.
Have you ever won a trophy?
i won a cross country race when i was in 10th grade, but i think i just got a medal for it :(
Favorite arcade game?
teenage mutant ninja turtles. donatello rocks the shit in that game.
Ever ordered from an infomercial?
no, but when i lived with branden up in governors he dared me to call in on one and ask them about the free prayer cloth they were offering. i remember an indian guy answering the phone that had no idea what the hell i was talking about when i asked him if the cloth really worked.
Sprite or 7-UP?
sprite, but i don't drink much pop.
Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?
yup. boogie band = black shoes, red knee high socks, black shorts, red shirt with yellow cord things, sunglasses, and red berets. we looked good.
Last thing you bought at Walgreens?
soap i think
Ever thrown up in public?
yeah. but only once from drinking too much. the rest of the times were from running.
Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?
true love i guess. i've lived this long without monies and have been happy enough.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
i believe in hot girls at first sight, but not love.
SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?
i barely know who they are so i'm gonna pass.
Did you have long hair as a young kid?
probably a few times.
What message is on your voicemail machine?
none, sadly.
Where would you like to go right now?
i'd really love to go skiing right now, so i'll say telluride, co.
Whats the name of your pet?
gert. she's adorable and i miss her.
What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?
duluth pack and cleats, a sweatshirt, and a water bottle.
What do you think about most?
damn this is a good question. i probably think most about whether or not i'm doing what i want with my life and what i can do to be happier.
mashed potatoes and gravy,
james
whats your name spelt backwards?
yeldray retlaw Semaj
What did you do last night?
practiced, played some poker, then drank with my friend trevor
The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
an ultimate frisbee video
Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?
yup. it was delicious.
Last time you swam in a pool?
i wouldn't call it swimming...but last summer.
What are you wearing?
a thong
How many cars have you owned?
just one, and she's still goin' strong
Type of music you dislike most?
the cheesy stuff you hear as background music in grocery stores
Are you registered to vote?
i think so...better look into that
Do you have cable?
nope
What kind of computer do you use?
the best kind (macbook pro)
Ever made a prank phone call?
is your refrigerator running?
You like anyone right now?
jenna fischer, although, she won't return my calls at the moment
Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
sky diving and hopefully sometime soon (this summer anyone?)
Furthest place you ever traveled?
london
What's your favorite comic strip?
i used to love garfield.
Do u know all the words to the national anthem?
you betcha
Shower, morning or night?
i'm not usually awake until i take a shower, so mornings
Best movie you've seen in the past month?
semi-pro. will ferrell = funniest man ever
Favorite pizza toppings?
pepperoni, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Chips or popcorn?
triscuits foo.
Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
what the f?
Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
no, i'm too pretty so they won't let me.
Orange Juice or apple?
i drink a lot of oj, but i really like apple too. so both i guess...
Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?
my parents
favorite chocolate bar?
chocolate was made to be consumed in thin candy shells. f bars.
Who is your longest friend and how long?
gonna have to go with my buddy matt, from home. since 6th grade so like 15 years?
Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
hmm...have i ever? i must be missing out.
Have you ever won a trophy?
i won a cross country race when i was in 10th grade, but i think i just got a medal for it :(
Favorite arcade game?
teenage mutant ninja turtles. donatello rocks the shit in that game.
Ever ordered from an infomercial?
no, but when i lived with branden up in governors he dared me to call in on one and ask them about the free prayer cloth they were offering. i remember an indian guy answering the phone that had no idea what the hell i was talking about when i asked him if the cloth really worked.
Sprite or 7-UP?
sprite, but i don't drink much pop.
Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?
yup. boogie band = black shoes, red knee high socks, black shorts, red shirt with yellow cord things, sunglasses, and red berets. we looked good.
Last thing you bought at Walgreens?
soap i think
Ever thrown up in public?
yeah. but only once from drinking too much. the rest of the times were from running.
Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?
true love i guess. i've lived this long without monies and have been happy enough.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
i believe in hot girls at first sight, but not love.
SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?
i barely know who they are so i'm gonna pass.
Did you have long hair as a young kid?
probably a few times.
What message is on your voicemail machine?
none, sadly.
Where would you like to go right now?
i'd really love to go skiing right now, so i'll say telluride, co.
Whats the name of your pet?
gert. she's adorable and i miss her.
What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?
duluth pack and cleats, a sweatshirt, and a water bottle.
What do you think about most?
damn this is a good question. i probably think most about whether or not i'm doing what i want with my life and what i can do to be happier.
mashed potatoes and gravy,
james
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
a sad day
i received news this morning that a good friend of mine from duluth passed away last weekend (below are two articles i was able to find). i'm writing this as i wait for some laundry and will be leaving as soon as possible to attend his funeral tomorrow in rochester, mn. i don't really have any commitments for the rest of this week, and next week is spring break, so i may spend a couple extra days in rochester, the twin cities, and eau claire before heading back down to bloomington. give me a ring if you wanna hang out.
lovins,
james
Former Duluth resident dies in Rochester
Duluth News Tribune - 03/04/2008
Firefighters in Rochester, Minn., found the body of a former Duluth resident in his home after an explosion and fire destroyed the building early Saturday.
Authorities say Paul Michael Beaulieu, 26, died before the explosion occurred. Rochester Police Captain Brian Winters said an autopsy was done Sunday. While the coroner has not ruled on a cause of death, Winters said there is no indication that a crime was committed.
Winters said Beaulieu lived in the house with his wife, Samantha (formerly Arter), but she was visiting family in the Duluth area when their home exploded.
Firefighters found Beaulieu’s body in the house’s basement, Rochester Fire Marshall Vance Swisher said. There was a natural gas line to the house, but Swisher said the cause of the explosion and fire probably won’t be known for several days.
Beaulieu was born in Duluth on January 3, 1982. He was a 2000 graduate Central High School. He and his wife moved to Rochester three years ago when American Eagle Airlines transferred him to Rochester International Airport.
A memorial service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes' chapel in Rochester
Man's death ruled a suicide
3/5/2008 8:03:35 AM
(0) Comments
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
The death of a 26-year-old Rochester man whose body was found in a building destroyed by fire last weekend has been ruled a suicide by the Olmsted County deputy coroner.
Paul Michael Beaulieu died about one hour before the house exploded and burned Saturday, said Monica Cole, deputy coroner. The fire and explosion at 822 Sixth St. S.E. was reported at 4:30 a.m. The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Beaulieu was the only one home at the time.
Cole said the cause of death "appears to be a hanging." She declined to say more.
Fire officials continue their investigation to determine the cause of the explosion and fire. Vance Swisher, Rochester fire marshal, previously said a gas leak was one of several possible causes.
A memorial service for Beaulieu will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ranfranz & Vine Funeral Homes in Rochester.
lovins,
james
Former Duluth resident dies in Rochester
Duluth News Tribune - 03/04/2008
Firefighters in Rochester, Minn., found the body of a former Duluth resident in his home after an explosion and fire destroyed the building early Saturday.
Authorities say Paul Michael Beaulieu, 26, died before the explosion occurred. Rochester Police Captain Brian Winters said an autopsy was done Sunday. While the coroner has not ruled on a cause of death, Winters said there is no indication that a crime was committed.
Winters said Beaulieu lived in the house with his wife, Samantha (formerly Arter), but she was visiting family in the Duluth area when their home exploded.
Firefighters found Beaulieu’s body in the house’s basement, Rochester Fire Marshall Vance Swisher said. There was a natural gas line to the house, but Swisher said the cause of the explosion and fire probably won’t be known for several days.
Beaulieu was born in Duluth on January 3, 1982. He was a 2000 graduate Central High School. He and his wife moved to Rochester three years ago when American Eagle Airlines transferred him to Rochester International Airport.
A memorial service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes' chapel in Rochester
Man's death ruled a suicide
3/5/2008 8:03:35 AM
(0) Comments
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
The death of a 26-year-old Rochester man whose body was found in a building destroyed by fire last weekend has been ruled a suicide by the Olmsted County deputy coroner.
Paul Michael Beaulieu died about one hour before the house exploded and burned Saturday, said Monica Cole, deputy coroner. The fire and explosion at 822 Sixth St. S.E. was reported at 4:30 a.m. The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Beaulieu was the only one home at the time.
Cole said the cause of death "appears to be a hanging." She declined to say more.
Fire officials continue their investigation to determine the cause of the explosion and fire. Vance Swisher, Rochester fire marshal, previously said a gas leak was one of several possible causes.
A memorial service for Beaulieu will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ranfranz & Vine Funeral Homes in Rochester.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
my windows are open...
...because it's 63 degrees outside :-) got the ol' lappy out and i'm enjoying a nice little breeze (that smells of spring) on my back while i blog away.
so last night got outta hand a little bit. keith and courtney, or as josh lee apparently calls her, 'curtney,' were visiting this weekend and after keith's audition, we decided we'd celebrate. celebrations started at nick's english pub with two pitchers of beer, some food, and a drinking game called 'sink the biz.' for those who don't know, sink the biz is played by taking turns pouring beer into a glass that is floating in a bucket, also filled with beer. whoever sinks the glass in the bucket has to drink it (probably 6 oz i'm guessing...) so the object is to pour enough in so that the next person inevitably sinks it. if you're thinking you can just pour a drop in and easily beat this game, you're wrong, because one of the rules is that the pour has to be a steady, non-broken stream. after finishing the game, we had finished off 3+ pitchers between the 3 of us (curtney looked after us) - and it was only 3:30. feeling stuffed from all the food, and a little tipsy, colin and i headed home and took a break from the drinking. at 5 we resumed again when some friends came over to pre-game before going to the new will ferrell movie, 'semi-pro.' we watched volumes 1 and 2 of the best of will ferrell snl dvds while we drank and had a good time. at about 6:30 colin left for the liquor store and came back with 8 mini-bottles of jack daniels for us to bring into the theatre. before the movie had even started i had poured 4 of those bottles into my small diet coke (which i never drink) and sipped down about half of it. i guess it was pretty strong because the girl i sat next to, who was a friend of a friend, told me that jack and diet was her drink of choice, so, being the gentleman that i am, i offered her some. i told her that i'd set the cup in between us and she could help herself, but expression on her face after tasting it told me i was going to be finishing it by myself. more for me :-)
the movie was hilarious, and we were pretty lit, but it was only 9:30ish, so next we went down to the irish lion for more food and drink. somewhere between the theatre and the lion, i'm 100% positive i mooned someone, but for the life of me, i can't remember who. i know i also called a lot of people at this point of the night. if i called you, i'm sorry for being annoying. anyways, i promptly ordered a half yard of beer (hacker pschor weisse - german wheat beer, yummy) and a bowl of coddle and continued on in my drunken ways until we left at close.
the two things i'm most proud of is that i had a really good time, which i haven't done in a while, and i didn't ride in a car with anyone that shouldn't have been driving, opting to walk home at the end of the night.
two things i'm not so proud of are that my friends had to confiscate my phone and remove the battery because i was being so annoying with it and that it's now 2pm and even though i've been awake since 9, i haven't done anything. guess i should take care of that now...
hope everyone is well!
lovins,
james
so last night got outta hand a little bit. keith and courtney, or as josh lee apparently calls her, 'curtney,' were visiting this weekend and after keith's audition, we decided we'd celebrate. celebrations started at nick's english pub with two pitchers of beer, some food, and a drinking game called 'sink the biz.' for those who don't know, sink the biz is played by taking turns pouring beer into a glass that is floating in a bucket, also filled with beer. whoever sinks the glass in the bucket has to drink it (probably 6 oz i'm guessing...) so the object is to pour enough in so that the next person inevitably sinks it. if you're thinking you can just pour a drop in and easily beat this game, you're wrong, because one of the rules is that the pour has to be a steady, non-broken stream. after finishing the game, we had finished off 3+ pitchers between the 3 of us (curtney looked after us) - and it was only 3:30. feeling stuffed from all the food, and a little tipsy, colin and i headed home and took a break from the drinking. at 5 we resumed again when some friends came over to pre-game before going to the new will ferrell movie, 'semi-pro.' we watched volumes 1 and 2 of the best of will ferrell snl dvds while we drank and had a good time. at about 6:30 colin left for the liquor store and came back with 8 mini-bottles of jack daniels for us to bring into the theatre. before the movie had even started i had poured 4 of those bottles into my small diet coke (which i never drink) and sipped down about half of it. i guess it was pretty strong because the girl i sat next to, who was a friend of a friend, told me that jack and diet was her drink of choice, so, being the gentleman that i am, i offered her some. i told her that i'd set the cup in between us and she could help herself, but expression on her face after tasting it told me i was going to be finishing it by myself. more for me :-)
the movie was hilarious, and we were pretty lit, but it was only 9:30ish, so next we went down to the irish lion for more food and drink. somewhere between the theatre and the lion, i'm 100% positive i mooned someone, but for the life of me, i can't remember who. i know i also called a lot of people at this point of the night. if i called you, i'm sorry for being annoying. anyways, i promptly ordered a half yard of beer (hacker pschor weisse - german wheat beer, yummy) and a bowl of coddle and continued on in my drunken ways until we left at close.
the two things i'm most proud of is that i had a really good time, which i haven't done in a while, and i didn't ride in a car with anyone that shouldn't have been driving, opting to walk home at the end of the night.
two things i'm not so proud of are that my friends had to confiscate my phone and remove the battery because i was being so annoying with it and that it's now 2pm and even though i've been awake since 9, i haven't done anything. guess i should take care of that now...
hope everyone is well!
lovins,
james
Thursday, February 21, 2008
reporting from life
disclaimer: the sound clip below may contain trombone and trombone related music. those that are allergic to loud tromboney music are advised not to click the play button.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
i'm going to hardees
quick update:
things got busy, james didn't update. big surprise. thinking back, i'm not exactly sure what i got so busy with. a bunch of people were leaving for auditions so i did a lot of subbing in different ensembles. also i've been rehearsing a lot with my quartet so, i dunno, i was just busy.
today is valentines day, and as per usual, the only love in my life at the moment is my bass trombone. lucky for me, she's a hottie. colin and i will be dining at the ever so delicious hardees tonight in celebration of our manhood, freedom, singleness, etc. oh, and also in celebration of our hearts, because our hearts are gonna feel some love tonight from the 3000+ calories of thickburger glory we ingest. it's gonna be sweet. the tradition started in eau claire 3 years ago, and is hopefully still going. i remember becker breaking up with rachel over the phone so that he could go with us (we had two rules: no girls, and must be single). don't worry, they got back together 2 hours later.
i had my first lesson with another one of the teachers here yesterday. his name is fabio and yes, he's a good looking man. unlike that douche on tv. he also happens to play trombone on a very high level. he grew up in italy with a musical family and just has this singing quality in his playing that i can't quite explain. the lesson was really good. i've got a lot of great stuff to work on and if i can get a hold of some of what he told me, i think my playing is gonna improve quite a lot in the next month. basically, it involves a lot of mouthpiece buzzing. and a pinwheel. i really want to get to the point where i can just buzz anything on my mouthpiece with ease, good breathing, and sound. cause right now, when i buzz, there's a lot of squeezing that goes on, and i know it transfers over into my playing.
/trombone nerdery
all the busyness has gotten in the way of going to the gym, unfortunately. after today things should be calm for a few weeks, so i'll be back at it either tonight or tomorrow. i've only been off for a week, but i'm sure i've lost a pound or two, just because i haven't been eating as much (i don't have a huge appetite when i'm not lifting).
i guess that's about it for this installment... i'm sure it was just as exciting to read as it was for me to write.
happy hardees day!
love,
james
things got busy, james didn't update. big surprise. thinking back, i'm not exactly sure what i got so busy with. a bunch of people were leaving for auditions so i did a lot of subbing in different ensembles. also i've been rehearsing a lot with my quartet so, i dunno, i was just busy.
today is valentines day, and as per usual, the only love in my life at the moment is my bass trombone. lucky for me, she's a hottie. colin and i will be dining at the ever so delicious hardees tonight in celebration of our manhood, freedom, singleness, etc. oh, and also in celebration of our hearts, because our hearts are gonna feel some love tonight from the 3000+ calories of thickburger glory we ingest. it's gonna be sweet. the tradition started in eau claire 3 years ago, and is hopefully still going. i remember becker breaking up with rachel over the phone so that he could go with us (we had two rules: no girls, and must be single). don't worry, they got back together 2 hours later.
i had my first lesson with another one of the teachers here yesterday. his name is fabio and yes, he's a good looking man. unlike that douche on tv. he also happens to play trombone on a very high level. he grew up in italy with a musical family and just has this singing quality in his playing that i can't quite explain. the lesson was really good. i've got a lot of great stuff to work on and if i can get a hold of some of what he told me, i think my playing is gonna improve quite a lot in the next month. basically, it involves a lot of mouthpiece buzzing. and a pinwheel. i really want to get to the point where i can just buzz anything on my mouthpiece with ease, good breathing, and sound. cause right now, when i buzz, there's a lot of squeezing that goes on, and i know it transfers over into my playing.
/trombone nerdery
all the busyness has gotten in the way of going to the gym, unfortunately. after today things should be calm for a few weeks, so i'll be back at it either tonight or tomorrow. i've only been off for a week, but i'm sure i've lost a pound or two, just because i haven't been eating as much (i don't have a huge appetite when i'm not lifting).
i guess that's about it for this installment... i'm sure it was just as exciting to read as it was for me to write.
happy hardees day!
love,
james
Friday, February 01, 2008
the big question...
is james' knee well enough and is he going to play at his ultimate game tonight? i know you've been waiting in suspense all week and are dying to know if i'm gonna play. well, i'm not sure... i went to the gym yesterday and was able to do weighted lunges with no pain in my knee, which makes me think i'm good to go, but i'm still feeling pain when i press on it. walking doesn't hurt, biking doesn't hurt, weighted leg workouts don't hurt, but actually touching it does. does this mean it's just bruised? i really wish i knew what was wrong with my stupid knee... i realllllllllllly want to go play tonight but it's not worth it to mess myself up anymore than i have. and i don't think i have the restraint in me to not play 100% if i do play. i think i'm gonna go, run around the track a bit, and see how it feels. maybe i'll play fewer points too... feel free to leave your professional/medical/motherly advise in the comments.
so tonight i get to play on a recital with the faculty quartet. i'm pretty damn excited. i even get a short little solo cadenza thing to play. it's gonna be fun :-)
also tonight, becker, alaska, and paul are gonna be here. what a sweet day.
love,
james
so tonight i get to play on a recital with the faculty quartet. i'm pretty damn excited. i even get a short little solo cadenza thing to play. it's gonna be fun :-)
also tonight, becker, alaska, and paul are gonna be here. what a sweet day.
love,
james
Saturday, January 26, 2008
i hurt my knee :-(
my ultimate team went up against the best team in the league last night and i f'd up my knee :-( basically, i was defending a guy who was a handler, which means he wasn't running around a lot, making cuts, but instead stayed back and would make most of the throws up the field. anyways, he was walking up the field and a teammate of his had the disc. since my guy wasn't running, i decided i'd watch the guy who had the disc to see if i could anticipate his throw and step in for a block. i had a great look and right as he threw he looked at me - making me hestitate (cause i thought maybe he'd rethink his throw seeing me there) and i awkwardly laid out to block his pass. i missed my block, jumped up, and got back in the play. after the point was over i went to the sidelines to rest. after i was rested i went back out and after a couple seconds of running around, noticed my knee was bothering me. i looked down, and sure enough, it was swollen. i got ice on it right away, and it didn't hurt too bad, but the swelling looked terrible. my teammates saw me there with the ice and asked what happened, cause they hadn't seen anything. all i could tell them was 'i don't know, but i think blah blah blah.' injuries suck. especially knee injuries. makes me rethink having knees at all... (name that quote!)
so after the game i went home, popped 3 advil and went to the bar for a delicious cold drink, hobbling like a true gimp all the while. my friend matt stopped by this morning and lent me a brace which i've worn all day. it prevents me from moving it around too much, which is probably good.
on to other news...
he'll probably be writing about it in his blog soon, but colin has a 46-inch flat screen lcd tv on the way, as well as a blue-ray disc player. he's earned it through his 'job' playing poker. the site we play on offers a rewards program based on how much you play and after many months, he's accumulated enough points. when he was getting close, he really started to put in the time so we could get it by the time becker, justin, paul, and keith get down here so i ended up playing some sessions on his account as well to help out. colin plays higher limits than i do, because his bankroll is larger (for now ;-)) so it was fun to play on his account against a little tougher competition. well, i say 'tougher competition,' but really, there are still quite a few terrible players at his level. anyways, we're getting a sweet tv!
the weight gain stuff has been going well. i weighed myself yesterday after my workout and i'm already up to 152 pounds. that's 9 lbs in two weeks. i know the plateau will begin soon, and every pound will be harder earned from here on out (especially if i'm unable to do some of my leg exercises with my stupid, lame knee) but i'm happy with the progress so far.
well, that's about all i got to report on for now. it's gonna be a busy week, with lots of performances and visitors and excitement so i'm sure i'll have a lot to write about in a week or so. be sure to stay warm up der in the cold eh.
love,
james
so after the game i went home, popped 3 advil and went to the bar for a delicious cold drink, hobbling like a true gimp all the while. my friend matt stopped by this morning and lent me a brace which i've worn all day. it prevents me from moving it around too much, which is probably good.
on to other news...
he'll probably be writing about it in his blog soon, but colin has a 46-inch flat screen lcd tv on the way, as well as a blue-ray disc player. he's earned it through his 'job' playing poker. the site we play on offers a rewards program based on how much you play and after many months, he's accumulated enough points. when he was getting close, he really started to put in the time so we could get it by the time becker, justin, paul, and keith get down here so i ended up playing some sessions on his account as well to help out. colin plays higher limits than i do, because his bankroll is larger (for now ;-)) so it was fun to play on his account against a little tougher competition. well, i say 'tougher competition,' but really, there are still quite a few terrible players at his level. anyways, we're getting a sweet tv!
the weight gain stuff has been going well. i weighed myself yesterday after my workout and i'm already up to 152 pounds. that's 9 lbs in two weeks. i know the plateau will begin soon, and every pound will be harder earned from here on out (especially if i'm unable to do some of my leg exercises with my stupid, lame knee) but i'm happy with the progress so far.
well, that's about all i got to report on for now. it's gonna be a busy week, with lots of performances and visitors and excitement so i'm sure i'll have a lot to write about in a week or so. be sure to stay warm up der in the cold eh.
love,
james
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
the 90s
so i found this on a forum that i frequent and i couldn't help but laugh as i read down the list. i'm sure a lot of you can identify, and if you can't, well, you missed out...
You're a 90's kid if:
You can finish this [ice ice_ _ _ _ ]
You remember watching:
-Doug
-Ren & Stimpy
-Pinky and the Brain
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rockos modern Life.
-Cow & Chicken
You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
You just cant resist finishing this . . . "Iiiiiiin west philidelphia born and raised . . ."
You remember:
-TGIF
-Step by Step
-Family Matters
-Dinosaurs
-Boy Meets World.
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence . . . not
when everyhting was settled by:
-rock paper scissors or
-bubble gum bubble gum in a dish or
-daddy had a donkey inky binky bonky.
when cops and robbers was a daily activity.
when we played Hide and go seek until our legs grew numb.
when we used to obey our parents
You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time.
"Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" was both a game and a TV game show.
Captain Planet. He's a Hero.
You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green ranger, were meant to be together.
You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.
You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny.
You remember watching Home Alone 1, 2 , and 3 . . . and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"
You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus
-Wishbone
-Reading Rainbow on PBS.
You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.
You remember those Where's Waldo books.
You remember eating Warheads.
You remember watching:
-the 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-3 Ninjas movies.
You remember Ring Pops.
You remember drinking Surge, and Tang.
Oh, oh, oh! and JOSTA!!!
If you remember when every thing was "da BOMB!"
When they made the new lunchables so that you could make pizza AND tacos.
You remember boom boxes vs. cd players.
Making those little paper fortune cookie things, and then predicting your life with them.
You played and/or collected "Pogs" :)
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere.
. . . Furbies (yes, we hated them THEN, too).
You haven't always had a computer, and it was cool to have the internet.
And Windows 95 was the best.
You watched the original cartoons of Rugrats, Power Rangers, and Ninja Turtles.
Michael Jordan was a king.
YIKES pencils and erasers were the stuff!
All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.
You remember when the new Beanie Babies and Talking Elmo were always sold out.
You collected those Beanie Babies.
Carebears
Gak was the coolest stuff invented.
Lambchop's song never ended.
The old dollar bills.
Silver dollars, which were cool to have.
You remember a time before the WB.
You collected all the Troll dolls
If you even know what an original walkman is.
You remember wanting to sit on the orange Nickelodeon couch.
You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" . . . enough said
You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"
You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace.
You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground.
Before the MySpace frenzy . . .
Before the Internet & text messaging . . .
Before Sidekicks & iPods . . .
Before MIKE JONES . . .
Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX . . .
Before Spongebob . . .
Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs.
When the spice girls were cool.
When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off of our walkman.
When checking out drawing books and that one book about the rainbow fish from the library was THE cool thing to do.
You had slap braclets!
i would probably add zubaz, starter jackets, and the song 'whoop there it is' to the list. can anyone think of anything else?
love,
james
You're a 90's kid if:
You can finish this [ice ice_ _ _ _ ]
You remember watching:
-Doug
-Ren & Stimpy
-Pinky and the Brain
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rockos modern Life.
-Cow & Chicken
You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
You just cant resist finishing this . . . "Iiiiiiin west philidelphia born and raised . . ."
You remember:
-TGIF
-Step by Step
-Family Matters
-Dinosaurs
-Boy Meets World.
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence . . . not
when everyhting was settled by:
-rock paper scissors or
-bubble gum bubble gum in a dish or
-daddy had a donkey inky binky bonky.
when cops and robbers was a daily activity.
when we played Hide and go seek until our legs grew numb.
when we used to obey our parents
You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time.
"Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" was both a game and a TV game show.
Captain Planet. He's a Hero.
You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green ranger, were meant to be together.
You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.
You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny.
You remember watching Home Alone 1, 2 , and 3 . . . and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"
You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus
-Wishbone
-Reading Rainbow on PBS.
You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.
You remember those Where's Waldo books.
You remember eating Warheads.
You remember watching:
-the 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-3 Ninjas movies.
You remember Ring Pops.
You remember drinking Surge, and Tang.
Oh, oh, oh! and JOSTA!!!
If you remember when every thing was "da BOMB!"
When they made the new lunchables so that you could make pizza AND tacos.
You remember boom boxes vs. cd players.
Making those little paper fortune cookie things, and then predicting your life with them.
You played and/or collected "Pogs" :)
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere.
. . . Furbies (yes, we hated them THEN, too).
You haven't always had a computer, and it was cool to have the internet.
And Windows 95 was the best.
You watched the original cartoons of Rugrats, Power Rangers, and Ninja Turtles.
Michael Jordan was a king.
YIKES pencils and erasers were the stuff!
All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.
You remember when the new Beanie Babies and Talking Elmo were always sold out.
You collected those Beanie Babies.
Carebears
Gak was the coolest stuff invented.
Lambchop's song never ended.
The old dollar bills.
Silver dollars, which were cool to have.
You remember a time before the WB.
You collected all the Troll dolls
If you even know what an original walkman is.
You remember wanting to sit on the orange Nickelodeon couch.
You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" . . . enough said
You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"
You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace.
You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground.
Before the MySpace frenzy . . .
Before the Internet & text messaging . . .
Before Sidekicks & iPods . . .
Before MIKE JONES . . .
Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX . . .
Before Spongebob . . .
Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs.
When the spice girls were cool.
When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off of our walkman.
When checking out drawing books and that one book about the rainbow fish from the library was THE cool thing to do.
You had slap braclets!
i would probably add zubaz, starter jackets, and the song 'whoop there it is' to the list. can anyone think of anything else?
love,
james
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
somethin' new
as most of you know, i've spent a lot of time trying to gain weight. i've always been a skinny guy and never weighed more than 154 lbs (i'm 5-9). i've always kind of gone in spurts of working out and not working out, mostly when things like time and money get in my way, therefore i've gone from being skinny to being slightly less skinny over the years. one thing i've realized is that a lot of people don't understand what it's like to NOT be able to gain weight. anytime i talk to someone about how i eat and how i workout, they kind of laugh about it and are shocked at how hard it is for me to gain. basically, they think i'm weird. ok, i am weird, but not because i want to gain weight.
there are a lot of skinny people that wish they weighed more, whether they admit to it or not and it's completely normal. being underweight can actually be unhealthy, just like being overweight can be (not that i consider myself to be underweight at the moment). and the positive effects of losing weight for a person are the same for a person who wants to gain. people who've lost weight feel healthier, fit into their clothes better, and just feel more confident in general. it's the same for me.
so what's the point of all this? well, i'm gettin' back on the routine after having taken some time off and i'm going to use this blog to track some of the progress. i know it's probably not going to make for very interesting reading, so i'll still continue writing about all the other random things i chose to write about. however, i'm also going to use this blog to hold myself accountable for my workouts and eating to help keep myself motivated. and if hearing about my workout and diet inspires others, that's cool too.
right now, i weigh 143 lbs. my goal is to reach 160 by the end of the semester. that gives me 106 days or about 15 weeks to gain 17 lbs. so what's my plan to accomplish this?
basically, i'm going to eat everything in sight and workout 3-4 times a week. more specifically, though, i'll be drinking about 3 protein shakes a day and eating 3 real meals a day that are high in protein. i'll need to get about 4000 calories a day to start and increase that as i get bigger. the workout routine consists of heavy lifting and low reps. my workouts shouldn't take longer than an hour, although they may go slightly over towards the end as i add more exercises. i won't bore you with the details of the diet and the workout, but if you're extremely curious, i'll give you the links for both.
the workout
the diet
i've used these programs before and they have worked well for me. i'm not exactly sure how i'm going to use the blog to keep track of my progress, so i'll just play that by ear. at the very least, i'll leave weekly updates about how much i've gained.
well, that's about it for now. wish me luck!
love,
james (all 143 lbs of me)
there are a lot of skinny people that wish they weighed more, whether they admit to it or not and it's completely normal. being underweight can actually be unhealthy, just like being overweight can be (not that i consider myself to be underweight at the moment). and the positive effects of losing weight for a person are the same for a person who wants to gain. people who've lost weight feel healthier, fit into their clothes better, and just feel more confident in general. it's the same for me.
so what's the point of all this? well, i'm gettin' back on the routine after having taken some time off and i'm going to use this blog to track some of the progress. i know it's probably not going to make for very interesting reading, so i'll still continue writing about all the other random things i chose to write about. however, i'm also going to use this blog to hold myself accountable for my workouts and eating to help keep myself motivated. and if hearing about my workout and diet inspires others, that's cool too.
right now, i weigh 143 lbs. my goal is to reach 160 by the end of the semester. that gives me 106 days or about 15 weeks to gain 17 lbs. so what's my plan to accomplish this?
basically, i'm going to eat everything in sight and workout 3-4 times a week. more specifically, though, i'll be drinking about 3 protein shakes a day and eating 3 real meals a day that are high in protein. i'll need to get about 4000 calories a day to start and increase that as i get bigger. the workout routine consists of heavy lifting and low reps. my workouts shouldn't take longer than an hour, although they may go slightly over towards the end as i add more exercises. i won't bore you with the details of the diet and the workout, but if you're extremely curious, i'll give you the links for both.
the workout
the diet
i've used these programs before and they have worked well for me. i'm not exactly sure how i'm going to use the blog to keep track of my progress, so i'll just play that by ear. at the very least, i'll leave weekly updates about how much i've gained.
well, that's about it for now. wish me luck!
love,
james (all 143 lbs of me)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
i know...
...i'm long overdue for an update.
last time i wrote, i was a on boat out in the ocean, but so much has happened since then, i'll just wrap that up by saying that it was an awesome experience and i'm looking forward to goin' back out.
so i'm back at school now and this semester is lookin' sweeeeet. i didn't have a ton of time (or should i say time when practice space was available) to prepare for auditions while i was out on the ship, and playing tenor the whole time wasn't so good for my bass chops, but despite all that, i managed to get 2nd placement this semester, which i was really happy about. there are many good bass trombone players here and i had never placed better than 3rd placement (or maybe 4th...that first semester is a blur) so this was a much needed confidence boost for me. ordinarily, 2nd placement would put me in the top orchestra in the spring semester because top placement is wind ensemble, but, unfortunately, the guy who got top placement couldn't play in wind ensemble, so that's where i was placed. i'm gonna miss playing in an orchestra, but the section for wind ensemble looks pretty killer. also, i get to play alpine symphony with the top orchestra in april, as it requires two bass trombones. it's sure to be one of the performance highlights of the year for me. i love that piece of music. another performance highlight for me is coming up in february. i got an e-mail from carl today asking me to play in the faculty quartet for the audition eve recital on feb. 1. seriously? i get to play in a quartet with lenthe, ellefson, and fabio (dee's sabbatical replacement)? hot damn! words can't really describe how excited i am for that.
in addition to the performance opportunities, my classes totally rock. i'm taking a history of jazz since bebop class with pat harbison and a duke ellington class with david baker. and ya know what's sweet about the ellington class? it's my last music history class ever - with david baker. i rule. yeah, so those are my only two classes. oh, and i'm taking an orchestral rep class with ellefson that meets on tuesday nights.
on to non school related things...
my ultimate team played a great game on friday night against the #1 team in the league. we held the lead until about the last 10 minutes, when the other team realized they were about to lose and started calling some really cheap stalls (a stall is when you are marking [guarding] and you count to 7 and they haven't passed the disc yet) and fouls. ultimate is played without referees so it's kind of up to the players and observers to work that stuff out. i love the attitude of my team because i think we all realized how awesome we played and it didn't really matter that they beat us. plus, i think it's just gonna make us hungrier for the next game. i can't wait.
well, i think that pretty much gets us caught up. maybe i have more stuff to write but i think i've sufficiently covered the important stuff.
love,
james
last time i wrote, i was a on boat out in the ocean, but so much has happened since then, i'll just wrap that up by saying that it was an awesome experience and i'm looking forward to goin' back out.
so i'm back at school now and this semester is lookin' sweeeeet. i didn't have a ton of time (or should i say time when practice space was available) to prepare for auditions while i was out on the ship, and playing tenor the whole time wasn't so good for my bass chops, but despite all that, i managed to get 2nd placement this semester, which i was really happy about. there are many good bass trombone players here and i had never placed better than 3rd placement (or maybe 4th...that first semester is a blur) so this was a much needed confidence boost for me. ordinarily, 2nd placement would put me in the top orchestra in the spring semester because top placement is wind ensemble, but, unfortunately, the guy who got top placement couldn't play in wind ensemble, so that's where i was placed. i'm gonna miss playing in an orchestra, but the section for wind ensemble looks pretty killer. also, i get to play alpine symphony with the top orchestra in april, as it requires two bass trombones. it's sure to be one of the performance highlights of the year for me. i love that piece of music. another performance highlight for me is coming up in february. i got an e-mail from carl today asking me to play in the faculty quartet for the audition eve recital on feb. 1. seriously? i get to play in a quartet with lenthe, ellefson, and fabio (dee's sabbatical replacement)? hot damn! words can't really describe how excited i am for that.
in addition to the performance opportunities, my classes totally rock. i'm taking a history of jazz since bebop class with pat harbison and a duke ellington class with david baker. and ya know what's sweet about the ellington class? it's my last music history class ever - with david baker. i rule. yeah, so those are my only two classes. oh, and i'm taking an orchestral rep class with ellefson that meets on tuesday nights.
on to non school related things...
my ultimate team played a great game on friday night against the #1 team in the league. we held the lead until about the last 10 minutes, when the other team realized they were about to lose and started calling some really cheap stalls (a stall is when you are marking [guarding] and you count to 7 and they haven't passed the disc yet) and fouls. ultimate is played without referees so it's kind of up to the players and observers to work that stuff out. i love the attitude of my team because i think we all realized how awesome we played and it didn't really matter that they beat us. plus, i think it's just gonna make us hungrier for the next game. i can't wait.
well, i think that pretty much gets us caught up. maybe i have more stuff to write but i think i've sufficiently covered the important stuff.
love,
james
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